bonito

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: bo=ni=to

CIDE DICTIONARY

bonito, n. [Sp. & Pg. bonito, fr. Ar. bainīt and bainīth.].

•  A large tropical fish (Orcynus pelamys) allied to the tunny. It is about three feet long, blue above, with four brown stripes on the sides. It is sometimes found on the American coast.  [1913 Webster]
•  any of a variety of scombroid fishes of the genera Sarda or Euthynnus, with a size intermediate between those of the smaller mackerels and the tunas. It is applied especially to the skipjack tuna (Euthynnus pelamis, syn. Katsuwonus pelamis, formerly Sarda Mediterranea, also called skipjack) of the Atlantic, an important and abundant food fish on the coast of the United States, and (Sarda Chilensis) of the Pacific, and other related species. These are large and active fishes, of a blue color above and silver below, with black oblique stripes.  [1913 Webster]
•  The medregal (Seriola fasciata), an edible fish of the southern of the United States and the West Indies.  [1913 Webster]
•  The cobia or crab eater (Elacate canada), an edible fish of the Middle and Southern United States.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

bonito, n. (pl. -os) any of several tunny-like fish which are striped like mackerel and are common in tropical seas.

Etymology

Sp.