BUFFOON


Meaning of BUFFOON in English

I. |bə|fün, _bəˈf- noun

( -s )

Usage: often attributive

Etymology: Middle French bouffon, from Old Italian buffone, from Medieval Latin bufon-, bufo, from Latin, toad — more at bufo

1.

a. : a man professionally engaged in entertaining others by tricks, gestures, or comic pantomime : jester , merry-andrew , clown ; broadly : comedian

b. : a person who strives for comical effects

2. : a gross and clownish person ; especially : one ill-educated or stupid

• buf·foon·ish -nish,-nēsh adjective

II. verb

( -ed/-ing/-s )

transitive verb

: to treat with buffoonery : ridicule , burlesque

intransitive verb

: to play the buffoon : behave like a buffoon

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.