Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A person who killed sound horses in order to sell their hides.
  • noun Same as buff-wheel.
  • noun A stammerer.
  • noun A foolish fellow; a fellow; a duffer: a term expressive of extreme familiarity, and generally having a flavor of contempt.
  • noun A person who took pay to swear false oaths; a hired perjurer.
  • noun One who buffs or polishes (knives, glass, cut precious stones, daguerreotype plates, woodwork, etc.)
  • noun One who buffs or strikes; a hitter.
  • noun Any apparatus for deadening the concussion between a moving body and one against which it strikes.
  • noun Hence Anything which serves to deaden or neutralize the shock of opposing forces.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb (Chem.) to add a buffer{5} to (a solution), so as to reduce unwanted fluctuation of acidity.
  • noun An elastic apparatus or fender, for deadening the jar caused by the collision of bodies.
  • noun A pad or cushion forming the end of a fender, which receives the blow; -- sometimes called buffing apparatus.
  • noun One who polishes with a buff.
  • noun A wheel for buffing; a buff.
  • noun colloq. A good-humored, slow-witted fellow; -- usually said of an elderly man.
  • noun (Chem.) a substance or mixture of substances which can absorb or neutralize a certain quantity of acid or base and thus keep the degree of acidity or alkalinity of a solution (as measured by pH) relatively stable. Sometimes the term is used in a medical context to mean antacid.
  • noun (Computers) a data storage device or portion of memory used to temporarily store input or output data until the receiving device is ready to process it.
  • noun any object or person that shields another object or person from harm, shock, or annoyance.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Someone or something that buffs.
  • noun chemistry A solution used to stabilize the pH (acidity) of a liquid.
  • noun computing A portion of memory set aside to store data, often before it is sent to an external device or as it is received from an external device.
  • noun mechanical Anything used to maintain slack or isolate different objects.
  • noun telecommunications A routine or storage medium used to compensate for a difference in rate of flow of data, or time of occurrence of events, when transferring data from one device to another.
  • noun rail transport A device on trains and carriages designed to cushion the impact between them.
  • noun rail transport The metal barrier to help prevent trains from running off the end of the track.
  • noun An isolating circuit, often an amplifier, used to minimize the influence of a driven circuit on the driving circuit.
  • noun politics, international relations A buffer zone (such as a demilitarized zone) or a buffer state.
  • noun colloquial A good-humoured, slow-witted fellow, usually an elderly man.
  • noun figuratively A gap that isolates or separates two things.
  • verb To use a buffer or buffers; to isolate or minimize the effects of one thing on another.
  • verb computing To store data in memory temporarily.
  • adjective comparative form of buff: more buff

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (computer science) a part of RAM used for temporary storage of data that is waiting to be sent to a device; used to compensate for differences in the rate of flow of data between components of a computer system
  • noun an implement consisting of soft material mounted on a block; used for polishing (as in manicuring)
  • noun (chemistry) an ionic compound that resists changes in its pH
  • noun a neutral zone between two rival powers that is created in order to diminish the danger of conflict
  • verb protect from impact
  • noun a power tool used to buff surfaces
  • noun an inclined metal frame at the front of a locomotive to clear the track
  • noun a cushion-like device that reduces shock due to an impact
  • verb add a buffer (a solution)

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

buff +‎ -er This definition is lacking an etymology or has an incomplete etymology. You can help Wiktionary by giving it a proper etymology.

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Examples

  • POSTdata: = "status =" status httpQUERY (buffer: = "", URL, POSTdata) msgbox \% buffer\%

    AutoHotkey Community 2009

  • #get the buffer for the textView my $buffer = $textView - > get_buffer ();

    LXer Linux News Kaikokan 2009

  • The expression buffer has been used and the head coaches I've spoken to don't want a buffer.

    Evening Standard - Home 2011

  • The expression buffer has been used and the head coaches I've spoken to don't want a buffer.

    Evening Standard - Home 2011

  • But then he said that the military, once that mission was completed, would also, would withdraw from the towns, but would return to what he called buffer zones, presumably within the West Bank, from which, he said, they would prevent the renewal of terror attacks against Israeli cities.

    CNN Transcript Apr 8, 2002 2002

  • The land around this camp became part of what they call the buffer zone for the reservoir, taken but not submerged.

    Stillwater William F. Weld 2002

  • The land around this camp became part of what they call the buffer zone for the reservoir, taken but not submerged.

    Stillwater William F. Weld 2002

  • The land around this camp became part of what they call the buffer zone for the reservoir, taken but not submerged.

    Stillwater William F. Weld 2002

  • This is part of what we call buffer capital these days because our expectation is that capital will be absorbed in light of what is happening with regulatory change.

    SeekingAlpha.com: Home Page 2010

  • And I think what the new element that we heard here, apart from this question of the time frame, which was always hovering as a problematic element over the last several days, the new element that we heard from Mr. Sharon was once the Israeli Army had completed its mission, as he said, within the Palestinian towns, then it would create what he called buffer zones and that this was a new, this is certainly a new development.

    CNN Transcript Apr 8, 2002 2002

Comments

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  • Okay, I learnt something... from the WeirdNet effect.

    Buffers are also impact absorbers, among other things.

    November 30, 2007

  • And those machines that shine up your linoleum.

    November 30, 2007

  • On The Riches this is the term the Travelers apply to well, everyone else.

    (There seems to be a bit of conflict on Wikipedia on how much of the words they use are real, though.)

    November 30, 2007