banty
A small chicken, especially a bantam rooster; also anything pint-sized.
Also called bantam.
Updated September 21, 2026
banty pronunciation
/BAN-tee/
Meaning
Short for bantam. On a farm it usually means a little rooster with more attitude than weight. Folks also call a short, feisty person a banty, half teasing and half impressed.
How folks use it
- “That banty rooster thinks he owns the yard.”
- “He is a little banty, but he will argue with anybody.”
Origin and etymology
From bantam, the small chicken breed name that entered English via Bantam in Java. Rural American speech clipped it to banty. Common on Southern and Appalachian places with yard birds.