Meanings
plural bonitos · plural bonitoes
- Any of various marine fish of the genus Sarda that are related to and resemble the tuna, but smaller.First known use 16th c.
Mr Scott, the chief mate, being a capital fisherman, the table was almost daily furnished with an albacore, bonito, or dolphin, and not unfrequently with all three, which he struck with a gig.
1808–10, William Hickey, Memoirs of a Georgian Rake, Folio Society 1995, p. 165 - A large tropical fish of species Katsuwonus pelamis (skipjack tuna), allied to the tunny.
Making dashi is simple once you have katsuobushi (shaved, dried bonito flakes) and kombu (sea kelp), which have become increasingly easy to find across the United States. (You can also order them online.)
2022 October 19, J. Kenji López-Alt, “What Kenji López-Alt Makes His Family for Dinner”, in The New York Times - The medregal (Seriola fasciata), an edible fish of the southern United States and the West Indies.
- The cobia or crab eater (Rachycentron canadum), an edible fish of warm waters globally.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounfish whose flesh is dried and flaked for Japanese cookery; may be same species as skipjack tuna
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Arabicبِنِّيّ (binniyy)
- Arabicبِينِيث (bīnīṯ)bor.?
- Spanishbonito
- Englishbonito
Borrowed from Spanish bonito (“bonito”).
More words from Spanish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀμία
- ἀμία (amía)fish of Sarda
Bulgarian паламуд
- паламуд (palamud)fish of Sarda
Catalan bonítol
- bonítolfish of Sarda
Czech pelamida
- pelamidafish of Sarda
Finnish sarda
- sardafish of Sarda
German Bonito
- Bonitofish of Sarda
Greek παλαμίδα
- παλαμίδα (palamída)fish of Sarda
Indonesian bonito
- bonitofish of Sarda
Italian palamita
- palamitafish of Sarda
Japanese 鰹, カツオ
- 鰹fish of Sarda
- カツオ (katsuo)fish of Sarda
Romanian bonită, pălămidă
- bonităfish of Sarda
- pălămidăfish of Sarda
Spanish bonito
- bonitofish of Sarda
Turkish torik, palamut
- torikfish of Sarda
- palamutfish of Sarda
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with bonito
Anagrams
Cite this entry
bonito. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bonito
“bonito.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bonito. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bonito,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bonito.
Source: bonito on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.