buffalo
[ buhf-uh-loh ]
/ ˈbʌf əˌloʊ /
noun, plural buf·fa·loes, buf·fa·los, (especially collectively) buf·fa·lo.
any of several large wild oxen of the family Bovidae.
Compare bison, Cape buffalo, water buffalo.
a buffalofish.
a shuffling tap-dance step.
verb (used with object), buf·fa·loed, buf·fa·lo·ing. Informal.
to puzzle or baffle; confuse; mystify: He was buffaloed by the problem.
to impress or intimidate by a display of power, importance, etc.: The older boys buffaloed him.
Origin of buffalo
1535–45,
Americanism; earlier
bufalo < Portuguese (now
bufaro) < Late Latin
būfalus, variant of Latin
būbalus
bubal
Words nearby buffalo
Definition for buffalo (2 of 2)
Buffalo
[ buhf-uh-loh ]
/ ˈbʌf əˌloʊ /
noun
a port in W New York, on Lake Erie.
Example sentences from the Web for buffalo
British Dictionary definitions for buffalo (1 of 2)
buffalo
/ (ˈbʌfəˌləʊ) /
noun plural -loes or -lo
Also called: Cape buffalo
a member of the cattle tribe, Syncerus caffer, mostly found in game reserves in southern and eastern Africa and having upward-curving horns
short for water buffalo
Also called: bison US and Canadian
a member of the cattle tribe, Bison bison, formerly widely distributed over the prairies of W North America but now confined to reserves and parks, with a massive head, shaggy forequarters, and a humped back
Related adjective: bubaline
verb (tr) US and Canadian informal
(often passive)
to confuse
to intimidate
Word Origin for buffalo
C16: from Italian
bufalo, from Late Latin
būfalus, alteration of Latin
būbalus; see
bubal
British Dictionary definitions for buffalo (2 of 2)
Buffalo
/ (ˈbʌfəˌləʊ) /
noun
a port in W New York State, at the E end of Lake Erie. Pop: 285 018 (2003 est)
Cultural definitions for buffalo
notes for Buffalo
Niagara Falls is northwest of Buffalo.