bantam

¹

[ ban-tuhm ]

noun

1. (often initial capital letter) a chicken of any of several varieties or breeds characterized by very small size.
2. a small and feisty or quarrelsome person.

adjective

1. diminutive; tiny:

   bantam editions of the classics.

   Synonyms: Lilliputian, pygmy, wee, small, miniature, petite

Bantam

²

[ ban-tuhm; Dutch bahn-tahm ]

noun

1. a village in W Java, in S Indonesia: first Dutch settlement in the East Indies.

bantam

/ ˈbæntəm /

noun

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

      bantam hockey

Word History and Origins

Origin of bantam¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bantam¹

C18: after Bantam village in Java, said to be the original home of this fowl

Example Sentences

But Mr. Jaffe, editorial director of Bantam Books, the paperback publishing house in New York City, thought the idea sounded pretty good.

From New York Times

But the Bantam paperback edition, published a year later, was a blockbuster.

From New York Times

“Marc was the epitome of a great editor,” Alberto Vitale, the former chairman of Random House, who worked with Mr. Jaffe at Bantam for a time, said by phone.

From New York Times

Mr. Vitale recalled the success of “Jaws” in paperback, propelled in part by the book’s terrifying cover — showing an enormous, toothy shark ready to swallow an unsuspecting swimmer — which was commissioned by Oscar Dystel, Bantam’s president, and painted by Roger Kastel.

From New York Times

Mr. Jaffe worked hard to promote the book around the world, though there was a bit of pushback from Bantam’s subsidiaries in England and Australia.

From New York Times