motherload

Why this word is great

MOTHERLOAD — [Noun] A very large amount of something, especially something valuable. A corruption of 'motherlode,' from mining terminology ('mother lode' referring to the principal vein of ore in a region, with 'lode' from Old English 'lād' meaning 'way, course'). Unlike 'bonanza' (which suggests windfall serendipity) or 'treasure trove' (which implies discovery and legal nuance), 'motherload' is blunt abundance, a geological heft of luck. It is the glint of gold flecks thickening to a seam in the rock, the warehouse stacked floor to ceiling with crates, the overstuffed hard drive groaning with pirated films—proof that the earth, and life, occasionally cough up more than we can carry.