bəˈnanzə, bōˈ- noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Spanish, literally, calm, fair weather, prosperity, rich mine, from Medieval Latin bonacia, alteration (influenced by Latin bonus good) of Latin malacia calm at sea, from Greek malakia, literally, softness — more at bounty , malacia
1.
a. : an exceptionally large and rich ore shoot or pocket in veins carrying gold and silver
b. : a mine having such an ore shoot or pocket ; also : the yield of such a mine
a bonanza worth millions
2.
a. : something that yields an often unexpectedly large profit
a bonanza enterprise
put the full resources of his studio behind the picture … and achieved a box-office bonanza — Al Hine
b. : an extremely large amount
the bonanza paid to foreign countries to help them keep out of debt
a bonanza of Socialist sympathy — Time
c. : something excessively rich, lush, or rewarding
the bonanza farms of the middle west — Lewis Mumford
a bonanza era
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- in bonanza