Link Centre Dictionary

buffoon

buf·foon

UK/bəˈfuːn/ US/bʌˈfun/ uncommon

noun

1.

a rude or vulgar fool

Synonyms
2.

a person who amuses others by ridiculous behavior

Origin

From Middle French bouffon, from Italian buffone (“jester”), from buffare (“to puff out the cheeks”), of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Middle High German buffen ("to puff"; > German büffen), Old English pyffan (“to breathe out, blow with the mouth”). More at English puff.

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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.