Meanings
- uncountableDigitaria exilis, a cereal cultivated in western Africa; white fonio
There’s a certain magic to fonio, a tiny golden grain believed to be Africa’s oldest cultivated cereal. The ancient grain’s potential to solve pressing modern environmental and economic challenges inspired Pierre Thiam, the Senegalese-born chef, to become fonio’s No 1 champion.
2023 July 6, Maria C. Hunt, “Could an ancient, climate-friendly crop be the future of beer?”, in The Guardian, →ISSNSynonyms: hungry rice
- uncountableDigitaria iburua, a cereal cultivated in western Africa, black fonio
Synonyms & antonyms
nounDigitaria exilis, a cereal cultivated in western Africa; white fonio
Origin
- Woloffoño
- Frenchfonio
- Englishfonio
From French fonio, from Wolof foño.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish fonio, fonio
- fonioDigitaria exilis
- fonioDigitaria iburua
French fonio
- fonioDigitaria exilis
Polish palusznik afrykański, palusznik czarny
- palusznik afrykańskiDigitaria exilis
- palusznik czarnyDigitaria iburua
Cite this entry
fonio. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fonio
“fonio.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fonio. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fonio,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fonio.
Source: fonio on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.