bento

[ ben-toh ]

noun

, Japanese Cooking.

, plural ben·tos; Japanese ben·to.

1. a meal, usually served in a lacquered or elaborately decorated box that is divided into sections for holding individual portions of food.

bento

/ ˈbɛntəʊ /

noun

1. a thin box, made of plastic or lacquered wood, divided into compartments which contain small separate dishes comprising a Japanese meal, esp lunch

Word History and Origins

Origin of bento¹

< Japanese bentō, probably < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese bān manage, provide + dāng apply, i.e., provision for an eat-out meal

Word History and Origins

Origin of bento¹

Japanese bentō box lunch

Example Sentences

Not too salty, not too sweet, each bento box is carefully portioned by food group to meet federal nutrition standards.

From Los Angeles Times

Her book, “Lunches Children Love,” is about making cute bento lunches filled with laughing faces and animals made out of food.

From Seattle Times

But that custom was interrupted in 2022 when a flood in the restaurant destroyed the bento orders and forced Brackett to close his doors for awhile.

From New York Times

And no train journey there is complete without a bento.

From BBC

With its proximity to Pike Place Market, the restaurant is popular with tourists who post photos of bento boxes on social media, as well as downtown workers seeking lunch deals.

From Seattle Times