buffer

C1 Topic:Word Formation & Derivatives

US /ˈbʌfəɹ/ UK /ˈbʌfə/ See IPA manual

Freq #14760

Meanings

1

noun
Something that reduces the impact of a shock or protects one thing from another.

Her savings acted as a buffer against the loss of her job.
2

verb
To protect someone or something from harm or unpleasant effects.

A good support network can buffer people from stress at work.
3

noun
In computing, a temporary store of data while it is being moved or processed.

The video kept pausing because the buffer could not load it fast enough.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 verb · to protect someone or... cushion soften

Word family

Forms bufferedbufferingbuffers

Derived forms bufferablebufferbloatbufferheadbufferizebufferlesscryobufferdebufferframebufferg-bufferimmunobuffermultibufferprebuffer

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

print buffer
temporary storage holding data until a printer can process it

Noun + noun

Etymology

Agent noun from obsolete verb buff (“make a dull sound when struck”) (mid-16c.), from Old French buffe (“blow”). The “boatswain's mate” sense is said to be popularly explained by the mate being a “buffer”, that is intermediary, between officers and men, but various other explanations have also been proposed.

buffe Old French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Word Formation & Derivatives General Vocabulary

External links

# buffer

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈbʌfəɹ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈbʌfə/
**Frequency rank:** 14760

## Meanings
1. Something that reduces the impact of a shock or protects one thing from another.
2. To protect someone or something from harm or unpleasant effects.
3. In computing, a temporary store of data while it is being moved or processed.

## Examples
- Her savings acted as a buffer against the loss of her job.
- A good support network can buffer people from stress at work.
- The video kept pausing because the buffer could not load it fast enough.

## Derived Forms
- bufferable
- bufferbloat
- bufferhead
- bufferize
- bufferless
- cryobuffer
- debuffer
- framebuffer
- g-buffer
- immunobuffer
- multibuffer
- prebuffer

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: buffe

## Etymology
Agent noun from obsolete verb buff (“make a dull sound when struck”) (mid-16c.), from Old French buffe (“blow”). The “boatswain's mate” sense is said to be popularly explained by the mate being a “buffer”, that is intermediary, between officers and men, but various other explanations have also been proposed.

## AI Etymology
Buffer is an agent noun from obsolete verb buff (“make a dull sound when struck”) (mid-16c.), from Old French buffe (“blow”). The “boatswain's mate” sense is said to be popularly explained by the mate being a “buffer”, that is intermediary, between officers and men, but various other explanations have also been proposed. In present-day use, it can mean something that reduces the impact of a shock or protects one thing from another, or to protect someone or something from harm or unpleasant effects. Derived formations include bufferable, bufferbloat, bufferhead, bufferize, and bufferless.

## Topics
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- General Vocabulary

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