buffalo

¹

[ buhf-uh-loh ]

noun

, plural buf·fa·loes, buf·fa·los, (especially collectively) buf·fa·lo.

1. any of several large wild oxen of the family Bovidae. Compare bison, Cape buffalo, water buffalo.
2. buffalo robe.
3. a buffalofish.
4. a shuffling tap-dance step.

verb (used with object)

, Informal.

, buf·fa·loed, buf·fa·lo·ing.

1. to puzzle or baffle; confuse; mystify:

   He was buffaloed by the problem.

2. to impress or intimidate by a display of power, importance, etc.:

   The older boys buffaloed him.

Buffalo

²

[ buhf-uh-loh ]

noun

1. a port in W New York, on Lake Erie.

buffalo

¹

/ ˈbʌfəˌləʊ /

noun

1. Also calledCape buffalo a member of the cattle tribe, Syncerus caffer , mostly found in game reserves in southern and eastern Africa and having upward-curving horns
2. See water buffalo
   short for water buffalo
3. Also calledbison a member of the cattle tribe, Bison bison , formerly widely distributed over the prairies of W North America but now confined to reserves and parks, with a massive head, shaggy forequarters, and a humped back bubaline

verb

1. often passive to confuse
2. to intimidate

Buffalo

²

/ ˈbʌfəˌləʊ /

noun

1. a port in W New York State, at the E end of Lake Erie. Pop: 285 018 (2003 est)

Buffalo

1. City in western New York , on Lake Erie and the Niagara River.

Notes

Niagara Falls is northwest of Buffalo.

Word History and Origins

Origin of buffalo¹

1535–45, Americanism; earlier bufalo < Portuguese (now bufaro ) < Late Latin būfalus, variant of Latin būbalus bubal

Word History and Origins

Origin of buffalo¹

C16: from Italian bufalo , from Late Latin būfalus , alteration of Latin būbalus ; see bubal

Example Sentences

Washington — unlike Buffalo — has the cap space to make it happen, but it could turn to the draft for help.

From Washington Post

With no Buffalo Sabres in sight, the Washington Capitals winger glanced back at a trailing Nic Dowd before the center slowed, leaving Wilson all alone against Buffalo netminder Linus Ullmark.

From Washington Post

In a video conference with reporters Thursday, Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro said the most likely scenario for the team this year is a combination of home games in Dunedin, Buffalo and Toronto.

From Washington Post

The Buffalo Sabres were shut down for a week, but they reopened their practice facility Tuesday.

From Washington Post

The Washington Capitals should have spent Wednesday preparing for a two-game series against the Buffalo Sabres.

From Washington Post

Buffalo ranked tenth in the nation, while Detroit and Pittsburgh ranked twelth and thirteenth, respectively.

From The Daily Beast

A remarkable snowstorm plowed through Buffalo, New York on Tuesday.

From The Daily Beast

After he graduated high school, Stasio enrolled at the University at Buffalo and entered the ROTC program.

From The Daily Beast

Buffalo has been growing again, but it does not have 370,000 millionaires like New York City has.

From The Daily Beast

They asked the director of the Buffalo Zoo for some wallaby hair.

From The Daily Beast

One or two of the buffalo-hunters exchanged words with us while Mac was building his cigarette and lighting it.

From Project Gutenberg

At Buffalo, where this fountain was exhibited, it received honorable mention.

From Project Gutenberg

The camp grew still, except for the rough and ready cook pottering about the fire, boiling buffalo-meat and mixing biscuit-dough.

From Project Gutenberg

Tom leaped on one side; the buffalo-bull turned short round and made another dash at him.

From Project Gutenberg

And from my roost I could note the passing of anything bigger than a buffalo yearling, within a radius of at least six miles.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• agitate
• bewilder
• chill
• confound
• daunt
• demoralize
• disconcert
• discourage
• dishearten
• dismay
• dispirit
• distract
• fluster
• frighten
• perturb
• rattle
• sap
• shake
• undermine
• unsettle