US /bəˈfuːn/
noun verb Freq #20694

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    A person who behaves in a ridiculous or foolish way.

    He made a complete buffoon of himself at the party.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a person who behaves in a... clown
Word family
Forms buffoons
Derived forms buffonizebuffoonerybuffoonesquebuffoonicbuffoonishbuffoonismbuffoonlikebuffoonlybuffoonry

Etymology

From Middle French bouffon, from Italian buffone (“jester”), from buffare (“to puff out the cheeks”), of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Middle High German buffen ("to puff"; > German büffen), Old English pyffan (“to breathe out, blow with the mouth”). More at English puff.

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