I. ˈbə-fər noun
Etymology: origin unknown
Date: 1749
slang British : fellow , man ; especially : an old man
II. noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: buff, verb, to react like a soft body when struck
Date: 1835
1. : any of various devices or pieces of material for reducing shock or damage due to contact
2. : a means or device used as a cushion against the shock of fluctuations in business or financial activity
3. : something that serves as a protective barrier: as
a. : buffer state
b. : a person who shields another especially from annoying routine matters
c. : mediator 1
4. : a substance capable in solution of neutralizing both acids and bases and thereby maintaining the original acidity or basicity of the solution ; also : a solution containing such a substance
5. : a temporary storage unit (as in a computer) ; especially : one that accepts information at one rate and delivers it at another
• buff·ered -fərd adjective
III. transitive verb
( buff·ered ; buff·er·ing -f(ə-)riŋ)
Date: 1845
1. : to lessen the shock of : cushion
2. : to treat (as a solution or its acidity) with a buffer ; also : to prepare (aspirin) with an antacid
3. : to collect (as data) in a buffer
IV. noun
Date: 1854
: one that buffs