n.
Pronunciation: ' b ə -f ə - ˌ l ō
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -lo or -loes also -los
Usage: often attrib
Etymology: Italian bufalo & Spanish búfalo, from Late Latin bufalus, alteration of Latin bubalus, from Greek boubalos African gazelle
Date: 1562
1 : any of several wild bovids: as a : WATER BUFFALO b : CAPE BUFFALO c (1) : any of a genus ( Bison ) of bovids especially : a large shaggy-maned No. American bovid ( B. bison ) that has short horns and heavy forequarters with a large muscular hump and that was formerly abundant on the central and western plains ― compare WISENT (2) : the flesh of the buffalo used as food
2 : any of several suckers (genus Ictiobus ) found mostly in the Mississippi valley ― called also buffalo fish
buffalo 1c(1)