noun
small rice field
Archaic term for a rice field, typically a small one. Not used in modern everyday language; encountered mainly in historical texts or place names.
古文書には、村の外れに小田があったと記されている。
An old document records that there was a small rice field on the outskirts of the village.
Compound of 小 (small) and 田 (rice field). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with this meaning.