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Webster 1913 Edition

Buffalo

Buf′fa-lo

,
Noun.
;
pl.
Buffaloes
.
[Sp.
bufalo
(cf. It.
bufalo
, F.
buffle
), fr. L.
bubalus
,
bufalus
, a kind of African stag or gazelle; also, the buffalo or wild ox, fr. Gr. [GREEK] buffalo, prob. fr. [GREEK] ox. See
Cow
the animal, and cf.
Buff
the color, and
Bubale
.]
1.
(Zool.)
A species of the genus
Bos
or
Bubalus
(
Bubalus bubalus
), originally from India, but now found in most of the warmer countries of the eastern continent. It is larger and less docile than the common ox, and is fond of marshy places and rivers.
2.
(Zool.)
A very large and savage species of the same genus (
Syncerus Caffer
syn.
Bubalus Caffer
) found in South Africa; – called also
Cape buffalo
.
3.
(Zool.)
Any species of wild ox.
4.
(Zool.)
The bison of North America.
5.
A buffalo robe. See
Buffalo robe
, below.
6.
(Zool.)
The buffalo fish. See
Buffalofish
, below.
Buffalo berry
(Bot.)
,
a shrub of the Upper Missouri (
Sherherdia argentea
) with acid edible red berries.
–
Buffalo bird
(Zool.)
,
an African bird of the genus
Buphaga
, of two species. These birds perch upon buffaloes and cattle, in search of parasites.
–
Buffalo bug
,
the carpet beetle. See under
Carpet
.
–
Buffalo chips
,
dry dung of the buffalo, or bison, used for fuel.
[U.S.]
–
Buffalo clover
(Bot.)
,
a kind of clover (
Trifolium reflexum
and
Trifoliumsoloniferum
) found in the ancient grazing grounds of the American bison.
–
Buffalo cod
(Zool.)
,
a large, edible, marine fish (
Ophiodon elongatus
) of the northern Pacific coast; – called also
blue cod
, and
cultus cod
.
–
Buffalo fly
, or
Buffalo gnat
(Zool.)
,
a small dipterous insect of the genus
Simulium
, allied to the black fly of the North. It is often extremely abundant in the lower part of the Mississippi valley and does great injury to domestic animals, often killing large numbers of cattle and horses. In Europe the Columbatz fly is a species with similar habits.
–
Buffalo grass
(Bot.)
,
a species of short, sweet grass (
Buchloë dactyloides
), from two to four inches high, covering the prairies on which the buffaloes, or bisons, feed.
[U.S.]
–
Buffalo nut
(Bot.)
,
the oily and drupelike fruit of an American shrub (
Pyrularia oleifera
); also, the shrub itself; oilnut.
–
Buffalo robe
,
the skin of the bison of North America, prepared with the hair on; – much used as a lap robe in sleighs.

Webster 1828 Edition

Buffalo

BUFF'ALO

,
Noun.
[L. bubalus.] The Bubalus, a species of the bovine genus, originally from India, but now found in most of the warmer countries of the Eastern Continent. It is larger and less docile than the common ox, and is fond of marshy places and rivers. The name is also applied to wild oxen in general, and particularly to the Bison of North America. [See Bison.]

Definition 2024

Buffalo

Buffalo

See also: buffalo

English

Proper noun

Buffalo

  1. A city in New York State, very near Niagara Falls.
  2. A city in Wyoming.

Translations

Portuguese

Proper noun

Buffalo f

  1. Alternative spelling of Búfalo

Spanish

Proper noun

Buffalo ?

  1. Buffalo (a city in New York State)

buffalo

buffalo

See also: Buffalo

English

A herd of African buffalo (Syncerus caffer)
An American bison (Bison bison) in British Columbia

Noun

buffalo ‎(plural buffaloes or buffalos or buffalo)

  1. Any of the Old World mammals of the family Bovidae, such as the Cape buffalo, Syncerus caffer, or the water buffalo Bubalus bubalis.
  2. A related North American animal, the American bison, Bison bison.
  3. A buffalo robe.
  4. The buffalo fish.

Related terms

Translations

See also

  • Appendix:Animals
  • Appendix:English collective nouns

Verb

buffalo ‎(third-person singular simple present buffaloes, present participle buffaloing, simple past and past participle buffaloed)

  1. (transitive) To hunt buffalo.
  2. (US, slang, transitive) To outwit, confuse, deceive, or intimidate.
  3. (archaic, transitive) To pistol-whip.

Translations

See also

Northern Sami

Etymology

Borrowing from English buffalo.

Noun

buffalo

  1. buffalo (Asian or African)

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Etymology

Probably from buffalo (Bison bison), since both cities are in regions that had wild herds at the time the names originated. Buffalo, New York was named after the Buffalo River, which an alternative etymology says is from French beau ‎(“beautiful”) fleuve ‎(“river”), but the more likely explanation is that it was named for the animal.

Pronunciation

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