buffet

[buhf-it]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR buffet ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a blow, as with the hand or fist.

a violent shock or concussion.

verb (used with object), buf·fet·ed, buf·fet·ing.

to strike, as with the hand or fist.

to strike against or push repeatedly: The wind buffeted the house.

to contend against; battle.

verb (used without object), buf·fet·ed, buf·fet·ing.

to struggle with blows of hand or fist.

to force one's way by a fight, struggle, etc.

Origin of buffet

1175–1225; Middle English < Old French buffe a blow + -et -et

Related formsbuf·fet·er, nounun·buf·fet·ed, adjective

Synonyms for buffet

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR buffet ON THESAURUS.COM

3. slap, cuff, box, hit, sock, wallop.

buffet

[buh-fey, boo- adjective, boo-fey; British buhf-it]

noun

a sideboard or cabinet for holding china, table linen, etc.

a meal laid out on a table or sideboard so that guests may serve themselves.

a counter, bar, or the like, for lunch or refreshments.

a restaurant containing such a counter or bar.

adjective

consisting of food, refreshments, etc., laid out on tables or buffets from which guests or customers serve themselves: a buffet supper; buffet service.

Origin of buffet

1710–20; < French, Old French, of obscure origin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for buffet

cafeteria, smorgasbord, clobber, batter, jolt, pummel, shelf, sideboard, counter, cupboard, box, knock, pound, shove, spank, flail, beat, bump, wallop, smack

Examples from the Web for buffet

Contemporary Examples of buffet

Nutritionist and trainers escorted players assigned to lose or gain weight to the buffet line and sat with them.
College Football Fattens Players Up and Then Abandons Them
Evin Demirel
October 4, 2014
I remember going to a rehearsal dinner that had lobster tail on the buffet and thinking that was decadent.
Which of Kim Kardashian’s Weddings Was More Ridiculous?
Kevin Fallon
May 27, 2014
Such is the buffet of delights served on an Oprah Winfrey press tour.
Oprah Winfrey’s Fabulous ‘Butler’ Press Tour: The Best Moments (VIDEO)
Kevin Fallon
August 17, 2013
This CNN clip taken on a flooded street on Long Island serves up a buffet of buffoonery.
Hurricane Sandy’s Biggest Idiots: Jet Skiing on the Hudson & More (VIDEO)
Kevin Fallon
October 30, 2012
The winner will be announced and featured in an onstage discussion, which will be followed by a buffet supper and cocktails.
Newsweek & The Daily Beast-Open Hands Prize for Commentary
The Daily Beast
April 25, 2012

Historical Examples of buffet

He had even the look of one who has received a buffet that he cannot return.
Alarms and Discursions
G. K. Chesterton
Alone in his office, Lee Gorman strode angrily to the buffet.
The Big Tomorrow
Paul Lohrman
In the ensuing silence he repaired to the buffet and drank a glass of vodka.
Ruggles of Red Gap
Harry Leon Wilson
But at that moment Irma Becot appeared, and stopped in front of the buffet.
His Masterpiece
Emile Zola
Setting my candle on the buffet, I opened one of the drawers.
The Shame of Motley
Raphael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for buffet

buffet

noun

(ˈbʊfeɪ) a counter where light refreshments are served

(ˈbʊfeɪ)

a meal at which guests help themselves from a number of dishes and often eat standing up
(as modifier)a buffet lunch

(ˈbʌfɪt, ˈbʊfeɪ) a piece of furniture used from medieval times to the 18th century for displaying plates, etc and typically comprising one or more cupboards and some open shelves

(ˈbʌfɪ) Scot and Northern English dialect a kind of low stool, pouffe, or hassock

Word Origin for buffet

C18: from French, of unknown origin

buffet

verb -fets, -feting or -feted

(tr) to knock against or about; batterthe wind buffeted the boat

(tr) to hit, esp with the fist; cuff

to force (one's way), as through a crowd

(intr) to struggle; battle

noun

a blow, esp with a fist or hand

aerodynamic excitation of an aircraft structure by separated flows

Derived Formsbuffeter, noun

Word Origin for buffet

C13: from Old French buffeter, from buffet a light blow, from buffe, of imitative origin

Buffet

noun

Bernard (bɛrnar). 1928–99, French painter and engraver. His works are characterized by sombre tones and thin angular forms

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for buffet

c.1200, "to strike with the fist or hand; cuff, box, slap; from Old French bufeter "to strike, slap, punch," from bufet (see buffet (n.2)). Related: Buffeted; buffeting.

n.1

"table," 1718, from French bufet "bench, stool, sideboard," 12c., of uncertain origin. Sense in English extended 1888 to "meal served from a buffet."

n.2

c.1200, "blow struck with a fist or weapon," from Old French bufet "slap, punch," diminutive of bufe "a blow, slap, punch; puff of wind," figuratively "cunning trick," probably echoic of the sound of something soft being hit.