buffo

[ boo-foh; Italian boof-faw ]

/ ˈbu foʊ; Italian ˈbuf fɔ /

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noun, plural buf·fi

[boo-fee Italian boof-fee], /ˈbu fi Italian ˈbuf fi/, buf·fos.Music.

(in opera) a comedy part, usually bass.

a male opera singer who specializes in comic roles.

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Origin of buffo

1755–65; <Italian: ridiculous, comic actor who takes comic parts; back formation from buffonebuffoon

Words nearby buffo

buffet car, buffeting, Buffett, buffing wheel, bufflehead, buffo, Buffon, buffoon, buffoonery, Buffs, buff stick

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How to use buffo in a sentence

That, my dear Buffo,” I replied, “is on account of the lava.
Castellinaria|Henry Festing Jones
I will tell you presently,” replied the buffo, “we must first go upstairs.
Castellinaria|Henry Festing Jones
And this must be Rosina,” whispered the buffo; “Dio mio, how death has aged her!
Castellinaria|Henry Festing Jones
The buffo said they had made the experiment of shortening it.
Castellinaria|Henry Festing Jones

So you see, Buffo, you need not trouble about your clothes if you want to appear English.
Castellinaria|Henry Festing Jones

British Dictionary definitions for buffo

buffo

/ (ˈbʊfəʊ, Italian ˈbuffo) /

noun plural -fi (-fɪ) or -fos

(in Italian opera of the 18th century) a comic part, esp one for a bass

Also called: buffo bass, basso buffo (Italian ˈbasso ˈbuffo) a bass singer who performs such a part

Word Origin for buffo

C18: from Italian (adj): comic, from buffo (n) buffoon

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