bonito

B3O1N1I1T1O1
/bəˈniːtoʊ//bəˈniːtə/

noun

Any of various marine fish of the genus Sarda that are related to and resemble the tuna, but smaller.

Similar
oceanic bonitoKatsuwonus pelamis
Less commonFirst used 16th c.Scrabble 8

Meanings

nounbonito (plural bonito or bonitos or bonitoes)

plural bonitos · plural bonitoes

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. The medregal (Seriola fasciata), an edible fish of the southern United States and the West Indies.
  4. 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

Similar
oceanic bonitoKatsuwonus pelamis
Broader
scombroidscombroid fish

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

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

Borrowed from Spanish bonito (“bonito”).

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

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

bonito. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bonito

MLA

“bonito.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bonito. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bonito,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bonito.

Source: bonito on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.