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bantam

[ ban-tuhm ]
/ ˈbæn təm /
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noun
(often initial capital letter) a chicken of any of several varieties or breeds characterized by very small size.
a small and feisty or quarrelsome person.
adjective
diminutive; tiny: bantam editions of the classics.
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Origin of bantam

1740–50; apparently after Bantam, through which such chickens may have been imported to Europe

Other definitions for bantam (2 of 2)

Bantam
[ ban-tuhm; Dutch bahn-tahm ]
/ ˈbæn təm; Dutch bɑnˈtɑm /

noun
a village in W Java, in S Indonesia: first Dutch settlement in the East Indies.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bantam in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bantam

bantam
/ (ˈbæntəm) /

noun
any of various very small breeds of domestic fowl
a small but aggressive person
boxing short for bantamweight
Canadian
  1. an age level of between 13 and 15 in amateur sport, esp ice hockey
  2. (as modifier)bantam hockey

Word Origin for bantam

C18: after Bantam village in Java, said to be the original home of this fowl
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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