Bantamese
/ˌbæn.təˈmiːz/noun
Relating to Bantam, a historic port and region in western Java, Indonesia.
Did you know?The English word “bantam,” meaning a small chicken, comes from chickens Europeans associated with Bantam in Java—not from the adjective “Bantamese” itself.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial period
Sundanese
Banten
“The regional name associated with western Java and the area later called Bantam by Europeans.”
16th Century
Portuguese
Bantam
“A European rendering of Banten, referring to the important Javanese port.”
17th Century
Dutch
Bantam
“The colonial-era name for the port and sultanate in western Java.”
17th–18th Century
English
Bantamese
“Of or relating to Bantam; an adjective formed with the English ethnonymic suffix “-ese.””
Modern English
English
Bantamese
“An obsolete or rare adjective relating to Bantam in Java.”