a person who amuses others by tricks, jokes, odd gestures and postures, etc.
2.
a person given to coarse or undignified joking.
Origin: 1540–50; earlier buffon < F < It buffone, equiv. to buff- (expressive base; cf. buffa puff of breath, buffare to puff, puff up one's checks) + -one agent suffix ≪ L -ō, acc. -ōnem
[buh-foon] 
