Small or favourite thing maiden missed (6)
I believe the answer is:
petite
'small' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)
'favourite thing maiden missed' is the wordplay.
'favourite' becomes 'pet' (synonyms).
'thing' becomes 'item' (an item is a thing).
'maiden' becomes 'm' (cricket abbreviation).
'missed' indicates named letters should be taken away.
'item' with 'm' taken out is 'ite'.
'pet'+'ite'='PETITE'
'or' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for petite that I've seen before include "Elfin" , "Attractively small" , "Little French" , "Wee" , "Small and dainty from France" .)