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buffers

 - 10 dictionary results
Car Buffers & Polishers
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Buffers & Custom Reagents
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buff⋅er

1  [buhf-er]
Use buffers in a Sentence
–noun
1. an apparatus at the end of a railroad car, railroad track, etc., for absorbing shock during coupling, collisions, etc.
2. any device, material, or apparatus used as a shield, cushion, or bumper, esp. on machinery.
3. any intermediate or intervening shield or device reducing the danger of interaction between two machines, chemicals, electronic components, etc.
4. a person or thing that shields and protects against annoyance, harm, hostile forces, etc., or that lessens the impact of a shock or reversal.
5. any reserve moneys, negotiable securities, legal procedures, etc., that protect a person, organization, or country against financial ruin.
6. buffer state.
7. Ecology. an animal population that becomes the prey of a predator that usually feeds on a different species.
8. Computers. a storage device for temporarily holding data until the computer is ready to receive or process the data, as when a receiving unit has an operating speed lower than that of the unit feeding data to it.
9. Electronics. a circuit with a single output activated by one or more of several inputs.
10. Chemistry.
a. any substance or mixture of compounds that, added to a solution, is capable of neutralizing both acids and bases without appreciably changing the original acidity or alkalinity of the solution.
b. Also called buffer solution. a solution containing such a substance.
–verb (used with object)
11. Chemistry. to treat with a buffer.
12. to cushion, shield, or protect.
13. to lessen the adverse effect of; ease: The drug buffered his pain.
Origin:
1825–35; buff 2 + -er 1
Car Buffers & Polishers
Orbital Buffers On Sale! Porter Cable value kits with free pads.
www.autogeek.net/buffers
Floor Buffers: New & Used
We Carry New, Used & Reconditioned Floor Buffers at Great Prices!
SoutheasternEquipment.net

buff⋅er

2  [buhf-er]
–noun
1. a device for polishing or buffing, as a buff stick or buff wheel.
2. a worker who uses such a device.
Origin:
1850–55; buff 1 + -er 1

buff⋅er

3  [buhf-er]
–noun British Slang.
1. a foolish or incompetent person.
2. a fellow; man.
3. a chief boatswain's mate in the British navy.
Origin:
1680–90; orig. uncert.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To buffers
buff·er 1   (bŭf'ər)   
n.  

  1. One that buffs, especially a piece of soft leather or cloth used to shine or polish.

  2. A buffing wheel.

buff·er 2   (bŭf'ər)   
n.  

  1. Something that lessens or absorbs the shock of an impact.

  2. One that protects by intercepting or moderating adverse pressures or influences: "A sense of humor . . . may have served as a buffer against the . . . shocks of disappointment" (James Russell Lowell).

  3. Something that separates potentially antagonistic entities, as an area between two rival powers that serves to lessen the danger of conflict.

  4. Chemistry A substance that minimizes change in the acidity of a solution when an acid or base is added to the solution.

  5. Computer Science A device or area used to store data temporarily.

tr.v.   buff·ered, buff·er·ing, buff·ers

  1. To act as a buffer for or between.

  2. Chemistry To treat (a solution) with a buffer.

  3. Computer Science To hold or collect (data) in a buffer.


[Probably from obsolete buff, to make a sound like a soft body being hit, of imitative origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

buffer

In chemistry, the components of a solution that can neutralize either an acid or a base and thus maintain a constant pH.

Note: Buffers are often used in medications designed to decrease acidity in the stomach.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

buffer 
1835, from obsolete verb buff "make a dull sound when struck," from O.Fr. buffe "a blow;" hence "something that absorbs a blow."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2buffer
Function: transitive verb
: to treat (as a solution or its acidity) with a buffer; also : to prepare (aspirin) with anantacid
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

buffer buff·er (bŭf'ər)
n.
A substance that minimizes change in the acidity of a solution when an acid or base is added to the solution. v. buff·ered, buff·er·ing, buff·ers
To treat a solution with a buffer.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Science Dictionary
buffer   (bŭf'ər)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. Chemistry A substance that prevents change in the acidity of a solution when an acid or base is added to the solution or when the solution is diluted. Buffers are used to make solutions of known pH, especially for instrument calibration purposes. Natural buffers also exist in living organisms, where biochemical reactions are very sensitive to changes in pH.

  2. Computer Science A device or an area of a computer that temporarily stores data that is being transferred between two machines that process data at different rates, such as a computer and a printer.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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Buffers & Custom Reagents
Teknova's custom reagent services. Fast Turnaround On Quotes & Orders!
www.teknova.com
Hi-Tek Floor Supply Inc.
Distributor of Floor Maintenance Chemicals & Equipment
www.hitekfloorsupply.com
Baldor Bench Buffers
Lowest Prices In The USA! 1/4hp, 1/3hp, 3/4hp, 1hp, 1.5hp
www.BuschShineProducts.com/Buffers
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