buff

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A soft, thick, undyed leather made chiefly from the skins of buffalo, elk, or oxen.
2. n. A military uniform coat made of such leather.
3. n. A pale, light, or moderate yellowish pink to yellow, including moderate orange-yellow to light yellowish brown.
4. n. Informal Bare skin: swimming in the buff.
5. n. A piece of soft material, such as velvet or leather, often mounted on a block and used for polishing.
6. adj. Made or formed of buff: a buff jacket.
7. adj. Of the color buff.
8. adj. Slang Having good muscle tone; physically fit and trim: buff athletes lifting weights at the gym.
9. v. To polish or shine with a piece of soft material.
10. v. To soften the surface of (leather) by raising a nap.
11. v. To make the color of buff.
12. n. Informal One who is enthusiastic and knowledgeable about a subject: a Civil War buff.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A buffalo.
2. n. A kind of thick leather, originally and properly made of the skin of the buffalo, but now also of the skins of other animals, as elks, oxen, etc. It is dressed so as to be as flexible as possible, and without a glazed or artificially colored surface. It is used for making belts, pouches, gloves, etc., and in the later middle ages came into use to take the place in a measure of light armor: as, “a suit of buff,” Shak., C. of E., iv. 2.
3. n. A buff-coat (which see).
4. n. The color of buff-leather; a yellow color deficient in luminosity and in chroma.
5. n. plural The third regiment of the line in the British army: so called from the color of the facings of their uniform. The 78th regiment is called the Rossshire Buffs for the same reason.
6. n. In medicine, the buffy coat. See buffy.
7. n. A buff-stick; a buff-wheel.
8. n. The bare skin: as, to strip to the buff.
9. Made of buff-leather.
10. Of the color of buff-leather; brownish-yellow.
11. To polish with a buff-wheel or buff-stick.
12. To stammer.
13. To emit a dull sound.
14. n. A dull fellow; a drone.
15. n. Nonsense; trivial or idle talk: as, that is all buff.
16. n. Ä blow; a slap; a box; a stroke; a buffet.
17. To strike; buffet.
18. To resist; deaden, as a buffer.
19. n. In old armor, the chin-piece of the burgonet, corresponding to the aventaile, and pierced with holes to allow breathing. The burgonet being a light helmet without face-guard, the buff was added to it when further defense was needed.
20. n. A bough.
21. In leather manufacturing, to grind or shave with a buff-wheel.

Wiktionary

1. n. Undyed leather from the skin of buffalo or similar animals.
2. n. A tool, often one covered with buff leather, used for polishing.
3. n. A brownish yellow colour.
4. n. A military coat made of buff leather.
5. n. informal A person who is very interested in a particular subject; an enthusiast.
6. n. gaming An effect that temporally makes a gaming character stronger.
7. n. rail transport Compressive coupler force that occurs during a slack bunched condition.
8. adj. Of the color of buff leather, a brownish yellow.
9. adj. bodybuilding : Unusually muscular. (also buffed or buffed out)
10. adj. slang attractive.
11. v. To polish and make shiny.
12. v. gaming To make a character stronger.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A sort of leather, prepared from the skin of the buffalo, dressed with oil, like chamois; also, the skins of oxen, elks, and other animals, dressed in like manner.
2. n. The color of buff; a light yellow, shading toward pink, gray, or brown.
3. n. A military coat, made of buff leather.
4. n. (Med.) The grayish viscid substance constituting the buffy coat. See Buffy coat, under Buffy, a.
5. n. (Mech.) A wheel covered with buff leather, and used in polishing cutlery, spoons, etc.
6. n. colloq. The bare skin.
7. adj. Made of buff leather.
8. adj. Of the color of buff.
9. v. to polish with a soft cloth, especially one similar to a buff{5}. See buff, n., 5.
10. v. obsolete To strike.
11. n. A buffet; a blow; -- obsolete except in the phrase “Blindman's buff.” See blindman's buff.
12. adj. Firm; sturdy.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a medium to dark tan color
2. v. polish and make shiny
3. n. a soft thick undyed leather from the skins of e.g. buffalo or oxen
4. v. strike, beat repeatedly
5. n. bare skin; naked.
6. n. an ardent follower and admirer
7. adj. of the yellowish-beige color of buff leather
8. n. an implement consisting of soft material mounted on a block; used for polishing (as in manicuring)