/ben"toh/ ; Japn. /ben"taw/ , n. , pl. bentos; Japn. bento . Japanese Cookery.
a meal, usually served in a lacquered or elaborately decorated box that is divided into sections for holding individual portions of food. Also called obento .
[ bento, prob. ban manage, provide + dang apply, i.e., provision for an eat-out meal ]