buffo
See also: Buffo and buffò
English
Etymology
From Italian buffo.
Noun
buffo (plural buffos or buffi)
- (music) A comic singer, particularly in comic opera
- 2007, January 27, “Vivien Schweitzer”, in Young Lovers, a Vespa and a Frolic by Rossini:
- Signor Bruschino was updated from a generic buffo character to an oily, scholarly-looking, suit-clad neurotic, excellently acted and sung by Marco Nistico.
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Italian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈbuf.fo/
- Rhymes: -uffo
- Hyphenation: bùf‧fo
Etymology 1
Compare Old French bouffer, originally "to puff up;" both are from Medieval Latin buffa, itself echoic of puffing out cheeks.[1]
Adjective
buffo (feminine buffa, masculine plural buffi, feminine plural buffe)
- funny, comical, amusing
- strange, odd, goofy
- whimsical
- playful
Derived terms
- buffamente
Related terms
- buffa
- buffare
Etymology 2
Onomatopoeic.
Noun
buffo m (plural buffi)
- gust (of wind)
- Synonyms: folata, soffio
- puff (of smoke)
- Synonym: sbuffo
Derived terms
- rabbuffare
Related terms
- bufare
- buffare
Etymology 3
Alteration of puf, from French pouf (“debt”), used in locutions such as faire pouf and à pouf.
Noun
buffo m (plural buffi)
- (Roman, usually in the plural) debt
- Synonym: debito
Etymology 4
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
buffo
- first-person singular present indicative of buffare
References
- Pianigiani, Ottorino (1907), “buffo”, in Vocabolario etimologico della lingua italiana (in Italian), Rome: Albrighi & Segati
Further reading
- buffo1 in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
- buffo2 in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
- buffo3 in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana