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buffoon

noun, verb — 3 senses

buffoon

noun

/bəˈfuːn/

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.

1

One who performs in a silly or ridiculous fashion; a clown or fool.

  • To divert the audience with buffoon postures and antic dances.1810, W. Melmoth, transl., Letters of Pliny:
2

Derogatory An unintentionally ridiculous person.

Derived terms
buffonize, buffoonery, buffoonesque, buffoonic, buffoonish, buffoonism, buffoonlike, buffoonly, buffoonry

buffoon

verb

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.

1

To behave like a buffoon

  • His mimicry of gay speech and facial expressions is analogous to an Amos 'n' Andy routine, in which white men buffooned their way through incredibly demeaning impersonations of black men.1988 January 22, Henry Sheehan, “Little Boy Blue”, in Chicago Reader:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.