I. ˈbə-fə-ˌlō noun
( plural -lo or -loes also -los )
Usage: often attributive
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 North 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)
]
II. transitive verb
( -loed ; -lo·ing )
Date: 1891
: bewilder , baffle ; also : bamboozle