Definition of "bonito" [bo•ni•to]

• Any of several marine food and game fishes of the genus Sarda, related to and resembling the tuna. (noun)
• Any of several similar fishes, such as the skipjack. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The nucleotides inosinate (eg in bonito flakes) and guanylate (eg in shiitake mushrooms) also evoke umami, and a notable feature is the synergistic effect between multiple umami sources."
• "They do contain bonito though, so I can’t mark this bento as vegetarian."
• "The bonito is a coarser fish, and only becomes tolerable eating by the copious use of port-wine."