buffoon
[ buh-foon ]
noun
a person who amuses others by tricks, jokes, odd gestures and postures, etc.
a person given to coarse or undignified joking.
a silly or foolish person: He has been shown to be a pompous, incompetent buffoon.
Origin of buffoon
1First recorded in 1540–50; earlier buffon, from French, from Italian buffone, equivalent to buff- (expressive form; compare buffa “puff of breath,” buffare “to puff, puff up one's cheeks”) + -one agent suffix, ultimately from Latin -ōnem, accusative of nominative noun suffix -ō
Other words for buffoon
Other words from buffoon
- buf·foon·er·y [buh-foo-nuh-ree], /bəˈfu nə ri/, noun
- buf·foon·ish, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for buffoon
buffoon
/ (bəˈfuːn) /
noun
a person who amuses others by ridiculous or odd behaviour, jokes, etc
a foolish person
Origin of buffoon
1C16: from French bouffon, from Italian buffone, from Medieval Latin būfō, from Latin: toad
Derived forms of buffoon
- buffoonery, noun
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
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