Bantam
adj, name, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 Any of several small chickens, especially of a breed that is a miniature version of another breed.
"From the dairy we passed into the poultry-yard; and there I was introduced to a train of milk-white turkeys, and fowls of the same colour, a few bantams, and three galenies, Mrs. Helen's especial favourites, […]"
- 2 Someone connected with Bradford City A.F.C, as a fan, player, coach etc.
"The Bantams bridged the gap between the bottom division of English league football and the Premier League to secure a place at Wembley, despite a 2-1 second-leg defeat."
- 3 any of various small breeds of fowl wordnet
- 4 A competitor in an age division between peewee and midget.
- 1 Small or miniature. not-comparable
"Dragonflies may be bantam, but their appetite is bottomless."
- 2 Spirited or aggressive. not-comparable
- 1 very small wordnet
- 1 Alternative form of Banten (“province of Java”). alt-of, alternative
- 2 The largest settlement on the Cocos Islands (Australia).
Example
More examples"From the dairy we passed into the poultry-yard; and there I was introduced to a train of milk-white turkeys, and fowls of the same colour, a few bantams, and three galenies, Mrs. Helen's especial favourites, […]"
Etymology
Borrowed from Dutch Bantam (Banten province in Java).
Related phrases
More for "bantam"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.