bonito

[ buh-nee-toh ]

noun,plural (especially collectively) bo·ni·to, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) bo·ni·tos.
  1. any mackerel-like fish of the genus Sarda, as S. sarda, of the Atlantic Ocean.

  2. any of several related species, as the skipjack, Euthynnus pelamis.

Compare Meanings

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

Origin of bonito

1
First recorded in1590–1600; from Spanish: literally, “pretty,” equivalent to bueno “good” + -ito diminutive suffix, or from Arabic bainīth

Words Nearby bonito

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bonito in a sentence

  • On the northern cape of the Gate, Point bonito, are three 16-inch rifles mounted in a similar way.

  • Was it true that a new schoolhouse was going to be built on bonito?

    The Sheriff's Son | William MacLeod Raine
  • They applaud with cries of “bonito”; they ask questions, and the house is never still for a single instant.

    Things seen in Spain | C. Gasquoine Hartley

British Dictionary definitions for bonito

bonito

/ (bəˈniːtəʊ) /


nounplural -tos
  1. any of various small tunny-like marine food fishes of the genus Sarda, of warm Atlantic and Pacific waters: family Scombridae (tunnies and mackerels)

  2. any of various similar or related fishes, such as Katsuwonus pelamis (oceanic bonito), the flesh of which is dried and flaked and used in Japanese cookery

Origin of bonito

1
C16: from Spanish bonito, from Latin bonus good

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012