Search results for 'buffer':

buff² noun 1 a dull-yellowish colour. 2 a soft undyed leather. 3 (sometimes buffer) a a cloth or pad of buff (noun 2) or other material, used for polishing; b a revolving disk used for polishing metals, made of layers of cloth loaded with abrasive powder. adj 1 dull yellow in colour • a buff envelope. 2 made of buff (noun 2) • a military buff coat. verb (buffed, buffing) 1 (also buff something up) to polish it with a buff or a piece of soft material. 2 to make (leather) soft like buff. buffer noun a person or thing that buffs or polishes. in the buff Brit colloq naked.
ETYMOLOGY: 16c, meaning 'a buffalo'; later meaning 'buffalo-hide' (or military wear made of this): from French buffle buffalo.

buffer¹ noun 1 an apparatus designed to take the shock when an object such as a railway carriage or a ship hits something, especially a device using springs, on a railway carriage, etc, or a cushion of rope on a ship. 2 a person or thing which protects from harm or shock, etc, or makes its impact less damaging or severe. 3 computing a temporary storage area for data that is being transmitted from the central processing unit to an output device such as a printer. 4 chem a chemical solution that maintains its pH at a constant level when an acid or alkali is added to it or when the solution is diluted. It is used to prepare solutions of a specific pH, eg for dyeing, food technology, medical treatment and brewing. verb (buffered, buffering) 1 chem to add a buffer to something. 2 to protect someone or something from shock. buffered adj 1 equipped with a buffer or buffers. 2 protected or cushioned. 3 chem with a buffer added.
ETYMOLOGY: 19c: from obsolete verb buff to strike or make a dull-sounding impact.

buffer² noun, Brit colloq a rather foolish or dull person, especially a man.