bonanza

bonanza
/beuh nan"zeuh, boh-/, n.
1. a rich mass of ore, as found in mining.
2. a source of great and sudden wealth or luck; a spectacular windfall: The play proved to be a bonanza for its lucky backers.
[1835-45, Amer.; < Sp: lit., smooth sea (hence, good luck, rich vein of ore), nasalized var. of ML bonacia, equiv. to L bon(us) good + (mal)acia calm sea < Gk malakía softness (malak(ós) soft + -ia -IA)]

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▪ American television series
      American television series that ran on the National Broadcasting Company (National Broadcasting Co., Inc.) (NBC) network from 1959 to 1973. Bonanza's 14 seasons and 440 episodes made it the second-longest-running western in broadcast history, after Gunsmoke.

      Bonanza, the first western broadcast in colour, recounted the story of the Cartwrights, a fictional family of ranchers living in the mid-1800s, near Virginia City, Nev., an actual mining boomtown. The Cartwrights were an all-male family headed by Ben (played by Lorne Greene), thrice a widower with a son from each marriage: Adam (Pernell Roberts), Hoss (Dan Blocker), and Little Joe (Michael Landon). Adam, the eldest, was serious and responsible, while Hoss was gregarious and oafish, and Little Joe was rashly romantic. The plot in the early seasons often stemmed from personality conflicts between the brothers, but the show's drama eventually turned toward issues pertaining to mining and managing the Cartwright ranch, the Ponderosa. Often, the Cartwrights were called on to deal with threatening outsiders and to restore peace.

      Although Bonanza adhered to many genre conventions, it appealed to general audiences by also avoiding some of those conventions. Whereas westerns often featured gunslingers roaming the prairie, the Cartwrights were landowners, tethered to the Ponderosa, and fixtures of the community. Rather than settle disputes solely through shoot-outs and show downs, the Cartwrights also employed diplomacy and dialogue.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Bonanza — Bonanza, AR U.S. town in Arkansas Population (2000): 514 Housing Units (2000): 219 Land area (2000): 1.227708 sq. miles (3.179750 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 1.227708 sq. miles (3.179750 sq.… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • bonanza — bo‧nan‧za [bəˈnænzə, bəʊ ǁ bə , boʊ ] noun [countable] a lucky or successful situation in which a person or business makes a lot of money: • a £5 million export sales bonanza in the United States • a bonanza year for the computer industry * * *… …   Financial and business terms

  • bonanza — (Del lat. *bonacia, alterac. de malacia, calma chicha). 1. f. Tiempo tranquilo o sereno en el mar. 2. prosperidad. 3. Ingen. Zona de mineral muy rico. ir en bonanza. fr. Mar. Navegar con viento suave. 2. Caminar con felicidad en lo que se desea y …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • Bonanza, AR — U.S. town in Arkansas Population (2000): 514 Housing Units (2000): 219 Land area (2000): 1.227708 sq. miles (3.179750 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 1.227708 sq. miles (3.179750 sq. km) FIPS… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Bonanza, CO — U.S. town in Colorado Population (2000): 14 Housing Units (2000): 33 Land area (2000): 0.438258 sq. miles (1.135082 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.438258 sq. miles (1.135082 sq. km) FIPS code …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Bonanza, GA — U.S. Census Designated Place in Georgia Population (2000): 2904 Housing Units (2000): 976 Land area (2000): 1.214198 sq. miles (3.144758 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 1.214198 sq. miles… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Bonanza, OR — U.S. town in Oregon Population (2000): 415 Housing Units (2000): 152 Land area (2000): 0.833686 sq. miles (2.159238 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.833686 sq. miles (2.159238 sq. km) FIPS code …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • bonanza — sustantivo femenino 1. (no contable) Tiempo tranquilo en el mar: Hacía bonanza y los reyes aprovecharon para dar una vuelta en yate. 2. (no contable) Prosperidad y progreso: En los años de bonanza deben prevenirse los años de crisis …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • bonanza — 1844, Amer.Eng., from Sp. bonanza a rich lode, originally fair weather at sea, prosperity, from V.L. *bonacia, from L. bonus good (see BENE (Cf. bene )) …   Etymology dictionary

  • bonanza — {{/stl 13}}{{stl 8}}rz. ż Ia, CMc. bonanzazie {{/stl 8}}{{stl 20}} {{/stl 20}}{{stl 12}}1. {{/stl 12}}{{stl 8}}pot. {{/stl 8}}{{stl 7}} rozgardiasz, zamieszanie połączone często z bijatyką : {{/stl 7}}{{stl 10}}Po północy na weselu zaczęła się… …   Langenscheidt Polski wyjaśnień

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