bantam

plural bantams

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, […]

   1829, Caroline Bowles Southey, Chapters on Churchyards, page 114

2. hobbiesA competitor in an age division between peewee and midget.
3. informalhobbiesA postage stamp much smaller than usual, notably the UK 1870 halfpenny, and some WW2-era South African issues.
4. UKhistoricalinformalA member of special World War I infantry units composed of men who were shorter than the standard military height requirement.

1. not comparableSmall or miniature.

   Dragonflies may be bantam, but their appetite is bottomless.

   2013 April 1, Natalie Angier, “Nature’s Drone, Pretty and Deadly”, in The New York Times

2. not comparableSpirited or aggressive.

1. alternativeAlternative form of Banten (“province of Java”).

plural Bantams

1. ball gamesSomeone 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.

   2013 January 22, Phil McNulty, “Aston Villa 2-1 Bradford (3-4)”, in BBC

1. The largest settlement on the Cocos Islands (Australia).
2. A borough in the town of Litchfield, Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States.
3. An unincorporated community in Tate Township, Clermont County, Ohio, United States.