bento box
/ˈbɛnˌtoʊ ˌbɑks/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.70 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A partitioned, traditionally lacquered, lunchbox in which a bento (“Japanese takeaway lunch”) is served.
Example Sentences
- "My heart was filled with covetousness as I saw the fine old lacquer bento boxes which they produced after carefully removing many silk wrappings."
- "At every important station, boys walk along the platform carrying large trays and shouting "Bento," (prolong the o). The hungry traveler opens the window and buys a neat parcel, consisting of two wooden boxes and a long narrow envelope [containing chopsticks]. […] One of the wooden boxes is full of cold boiled rice. The other contains an assortment of things, usually including fish and pickles. To name the contents of a bento''' box and tell what each thing is made of requires an extensive knowledge of Japanese cookery."
- "Of all the eccentric characters in Japan, one of the most famous and distinguished is probably Viscount Dr. Inajiro Tajiri, president of the imperial board of audit. […] His food is of the simplest variety. He daily carries to the office a bento box filled with rice and some pickled plums, and during the past 40 years he has ever stuck to his Spartan lunch."
- "For twenty cents apiece, Kato bought us three bento boxes. They are oblong and shallow, and made of thin, light-colored wood. One part contained hot rice, another cold vegetables, meats, broiled fish, a bit of omelette, and pickled sea-weed. Chopsticks came with it."
- "Replacing a mass-appeal menu, the hotel's interiors now suit subtler tastes. Like a lacquered bento box, the Zenlike hotel offers an array of delights imbued with natural color and texture, all contained in interlocking enclosures. It's a sampler of varied moods, functions, and materials—spare vignettes forming a harmonious whole."
- "Other bentō boxes are made like Russian dolls: five separate boxes that fit snugly inside one another for storage. The workmanship of bentō boxes shows the pride that their owners placed in these containers and in creating the proper ambiance when taking a prepared meal on trips outside the home."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈbɛnˌtoʊ ˌbɑks/
- British English: /ˈbɛntəʊ ˌbɒks/