Meaning of buff in English

Table of contents

Verb
buff
Definitions
1. strike, beat repeatedly
Examples
- « The wind buffeted him »
2. polish and make shiny
Examples
- « buff the wooden floors »
- « buff my shoes »
Derived terms
Classifying Adjective
buff
Definitions
1. of the color of buff leather
Synonyms
- chromatic
Noun
buff
Etymology
mid 16th century: probably from French buffle, from Italian bufalo, from late Latin bufalus (see buffalo). The original sense in English was ‘buffalo’, later ‘oxhide’ or ‘color of oxhide’
Definitions
1. an ardent follower and admirer
Derived terms
2. a soft thick undyed leather from the skins of e.g. buffalo or oxen
3. bare skin
Examples
- « swimming in the buff »
4. a medium to dark tan color
5. an implement consisting of soft material mounted on a block
Examples
- « used for polishing (as in manicuring) »
Derived terms

Famous quotes

« I'm not a film buff. I don't watch a lot of movies. »
Denzel Washington
« I use to watch like maybe three or four movies, five days out of the week. I was a movie buff, but I really didn't know what it was like behind the scenes, or the whole political process of it. »
Michelle Rodriguez
« I became a set designer for opera. I'm a great opera buff, I love classical music, and I needed a time-out. »
Maurice Sendak
« I like simple things. I like to sneak in the theatre and watch movies. I'm a movie buff. »
Justin Timberlake
« I have a friend that is a WWII buff, and we sat and talked a lot about stuff like the war and the reasons behind it, and you now it's all in the uniform. Once you're in it, it usually does all the work for you. »
Ryan Gosling