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buffo

[ boo-foh; Italian boof-faw ]
/ ˈbu foʊ; Italian ˈbuf fɔ /

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, Buffs, buff stick, buff-tip moth
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for buffo

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