/ bəˈfuːn; NAmE / noun
( old-fashioned ) a person who does silly but amusing things
► buf·foon·ery / -əri; NAmE / noun [ U ]
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent.: from French bouffon , from Italian buffone , from medieval Latin buffo clown. Originally recorded as a rare Scots word for a kind of pantomime dance, the term later (late 16th cent.) denoted a professional jester.