# buffalo

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈbʌf.əl.əʊ/ · frequency rank #5,663

## Definitions
1. An animal from the subtribe Bubalina, also known as true buffalos, 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. Ellipsis of buffalo robe.
4. The buffalo fish (Ictiobus spp.).
5. A nickel.
6. A looter during the Civil War.
7. A large or stupid person.
8. An obese person, usually a woman.
9. A black male.
10. Ellipsis of American buffalo (“gold bullion coin”).

## Etymology
Borrowed from Portuguese or Spanish búfalo (“buffalo”), from Late Latin būfalus, from Latin būbalus, from Ancient Greek βούβαλος (boúbalos, “antelope, wild ox”). Doublet of bubale and buffle.

## Common misspellings (8)
`bbuffalo`, `bfufalo`, `bufaflo`, `bufalo`, `buffallo`, `buffaol`, `bufflao`, `ubffalo`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/buffalo