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Where does the word "bantam" come from? It comes from Malay Bantam, and was adopted directly into English (1700s).
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Where does the word "bantam" come from? It comes from Malay Bantam, and was adopted directly into English (1700s).
Bantam’s story begins in Malay: Bantam meant “a port town in Java.” A port town in Java that exported a small breed of chicken. It reached English by 1700s as bantam. Settled as the word for the small chicken breed, then any small, feisty thing. Today, bantam means a small breed of chicken, or a small but feisty person, especially a boxer.
- Stage 1 · Malay · 1600s Bantam "a port town in Java", a port town in Java that exported a small breed of chicken.
- Stage 2 · English · 1700s bantam "a small breed of chicken, or something small and feisty", settled as the word for the small chicken breed, then any small, feisty thing.