buffo
Americannoun
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(in opera) a comedy part, usually bass.
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a male opera singer who specializes in comic roles.
noun
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(in Italian opera of the 18th century) a comic part, esp one for a bass
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Also called: buffo bass. basso buffo. a bass singer who performs such a part
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of buffo
1755–65; < Italian: ridiculous, comic actor who takes comic parts; back formation from buffone buffoon
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“To me, it’s the greatest of these buffo arias,” Colaneri said.
From New York Times • Jul. 17, 2022
Clarissa Lyons as Stonatrilla, the slightly over-the-hill prima donna, had an arresting, magisterial voice and presence; Kihun Yoon as Sospiro, the librettist, had a huge rich baritone and natural buffo flair.
From Washington Post • Jul. 17, 2016
As the music strikes up, and the book’s characters are introduced in comic buffo style, you wonder if you’re in for a meal of wise-ass lit-lampoonery.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 11, 2013
Jordan Bisch brought a robust sound and buffo presence to Kecal, the scheming marriage-fixer.
From New York Times • Feb. 16, 2011
The buffo was good, so was the contralto.
From The Truth About Tristrem Varick A Novel by Saltus, Edgar
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
