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buffalo

Syllabification: (buf·fa·lo)

Pronunciation: /ˈbəfəˌlō/

Translate buffalo | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

Definition of buffalo

noun (plural same, buffaloes or buffalos)

1a heavily built wild ox with backswept horns, found mainly in the Old World tropics.
- four species native to southern Asia (genus Bubalus, family Bovidae).See also water buffalo, anoa see African buffalo
the North American bison.

2 (also buffalo fish) a large grayish-olive freshwater fish with thick lips, common in North America.
- Genus Ictiobus, family Catostomidae: several species

verb (buffaloes, buffaloing, buffaloed)

[with object] informal

overawe or intimidate (someone):she didn’t like being buffaloed
baffle (someone):the problem has buffaloed the advertising staff

Origin:

mid 16th century: probably from Spanish or Portuguese búfalo, from late Latin bufalus, from earlier bubalus, from Greek boubalos 'antelope, wild ox'

Spelling help

The plural of buffalo is the same as the singular or is made by adding -es or -s: (buffalo, buffaloes, or buffalos).

buffalo in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of buffalo in the British & World English dictionary

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