buff
1[ buhf ]
/ bʌf /
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noun
adjective
verb (used with object)
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Origin of buff
1First recorded in 1545–55; 1900–05 for def. 4; earlier buffe “wild ox,” back formation from buffle, from Middle French, from Late Latin būfalus; see buffalo; (def. 4) originally a person enthusiastic about firefighting and firefighters, allegedly after the buff-colored uniforms once worn by volunteer firefighters in New York City
OTHER WORDS FROM buff
buff·a·bil·i·ty, nounbuff·a·ble, adjectiveOther definitions for buff (2 of 2)
buff2
[ buhf ]
/ bʌf /
verb (used with object)
(in a video game) to enhance (player characters' attributes or abilities) with a spell, skill, or item: If you buff your party with a skill that increases movement speed, make sure everyone is in the area of effect—you wouldn’t want to leave your healer in the dust!
to reduce or deaden the force of; act as a buffer.
noun
(in a video game) a category of spell, skill, or item that enhances player characters' attributes or abilities: Your build is specific to your job class, so a DPS Shaman and a DPS Druid might bring different buffs.
Chiefly British Dialect. a blow; slap.
Origin of buff
2First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English buffe “blow; clash.” back formation from buffet2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use buff in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for buff (1 of 3)
buff1
/ (bʌf) /
noun
- a soft thick flexible undyed leather made chiefly from the skins of buffalo, oxen, and elk
- (as modifier)a buff coat
- a dull yellow or yellowish-brown colour
- (as adjective)buff paint
Also called: buffer
- a cloth or pad of material used for polishing an object
- a flexible disc or wheel impregnated with a fine abrasive for polishing metals, etc, with a power tool
informal one's bare skin (esp in the phrase in the buff)
verb
to clean or polish (a metal, floor, shoes, etc) with a buff
to remove the grain surface of (a leather)
Word Origin for buff
C16: from Old French buffle, from Old Italian bufalo, from Late Latin būfalus buffalo
British Dictionary definitions for buff (2 of 3)
buff2
/ (bʌf) /
verb
(tr) to deaden the force of
noun
archaic a blow or buffet (now only in the phrase blind man's buff)
Word Origin for buff
C15: back formation from buffet ²
British Dictionary definitions for buff (3 of 3)
buff3
/ (bʌf) /
noun
informal an expert on or devotee of a given subjecta cheese buff
Word Origin for buff
C20: originally US: an enthusiastic fire watcher, from the buff-coloured uniforms worn by volunteer firemen in New York City
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Other Idioms and Phrases with buff
buff
see in the buff.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.