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buff

UK/bʊf/ US/bʌf/ fairly common informal slang uk us
noun (5) verb (2) adjective (1)

noun

1.
2.

a soft thick undyed leather from the skins of e.g. buffalo or oxen

3.

bare skin

  • “swimming in the buff”
4.
5.

an implement consisting of soft material mounted on a block; used for polishing (as in manicuring)

Synonyms

verb

1.

strike, beat repeatedly

  • “The wind buffeted him”
Synonyms
2.

polish and make shiny

  • “buff the wooden floors”
  • “buff my shoes”
Synonyms

adjective

1.

of the color of buff leather

Similar

Origin

From Middle English buffen (“to stutter, stammer”), from Old English byffan (“to mumble, mutter”), from Proto-West Germanic *bubjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyH- (“to fear, to be afraid”). More at bive (“tremble, shake”) and bever.

Phrases

  • buff coat
  • buff down
  • buff jerkin
  • buff nor stye
  • buff out
  • Buff Point
  • buff the muffin
  • buff up
  • buff wheel
  • buff-banded bushbird
  • buff-banded thicketbird
  • buff-bellied pipit

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.