bantam

C2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈbæntəm/ UK /ˈbæntəm/ See IPA manual

Freq #55299

Meanings

1

noun
a chicken of a naturally small breed or a miniature variety of a larger breed

A bantam scratched beside hens twice its size in the farmyard.
2

adj
unusually small or miniature, sometimes with an implication of boldness despite small size

The breeder displayed a bantam rooster with bright feathers and a confident stance.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a chicken of a naturally... bantam chickenminiature chicken

2 adj · unusually small or... miniature diminutive small

Opposites

largefull-sized

Word family

Forms bantams

Derived forms bantamweightbantamize

Related forms chickenroosterpoultryBanten

Etymology

From Bantam, an older European spelling of Banten in Java, a trading port associated with small domestic fowl. The place name became the English breed name and then an adjective for something notably small; bantamweight preserves that extension in combat sports.

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# bantam

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈbæntəm/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈbæntəm/
**Frequency rank:** 55299

## Meanings
1. a chicken of a naturally small breed or a miniature variety of a larger breed
2. unusually small or miniature, sometimes with an implication of boldness despite small size

## Examples
- A bantam scratched beside hens twice its size in the farmyard.
- The breeder displayed a bantam rooster with bright feathers and a confident stance.

## Synonyms
- bantam chicken
- miniature chicken
- miniature
- diminutive

## Antonyms
- large
- full-sized

## Derived Forms
- bantamweight
- bantamize

## Related Forms
- chicken
- rooster
- poultry
- Banten

## Etymology
From Bantam, an older European spelling of Banten in Java, a trading port associated with small domestic fowl. The place name became the English breed name and then an adjective for something notably small; bantamweight preserves that extension in combat sports.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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