Etymology

bonito

B3O1N1I1T1O1

Today it means: Any of various marine fish of the genus Sarda that are related to and resemble the tuna, but smaller. Full definition →

First used 16th c.Spanish bonito ← Arabic بِينِيث (bīnīṯ)bor.?
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The story

  1. Arabicبِنِّيّ (binniyy)
  2. Arabicبِينِيث (bīnīṯ)bor.?
  3. Spanishbonito
  4. English todaybonito

Borrowed from Spanish bonito (“bonito”).

First known use, by meaning

  • from 16th c. Any of various marine fish of the genus Sarda that are related to and resemble the tuna, but smaller.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.