buffo

[ boo-foh; Italian boof-faw ]

noun

, Music.

, plural buf·fi [boo, -fee, boof, -fee], buf·fos.

1. (in opera) a comedy part, usually bass.
2. a male opera singer who specializes in comic roles.

buffo

/ ˈbʊfəʊ; ˈbuffo /

noun

1. (in Italian opera of the 18th century) a comic part, esp one for a bass
2. Also calledbuffo bassbasso buffoˈbasso ˈbuffo a bass singer who performs such a part

Word History and Origins

Origin of buffo¹

1755–65; < Italian: ridiculous, comic actor who takes comic parts; back formation from buffone buffoon

Word History and Origins

Origin of buffo¹

C18: from Italian (adj): comic, from buffo (n) buffoon

Example Sentences

In the first half, he relished dancing rhythms and shifted between Natasha and Andrei’s repeating theme, a quintessentially Prokofiev melody of a long lyrical line leaping upward, and buffo interludes from the likes of Anatole and Dolokhov, with unstoppable momentum.

From New York Times

“To me, it’s the greatest of these buffo arias,” Colaneri said.

From New York Times

Buffo, the Montana nurse, said she was in a “state of terror” when the mandate was announced, fearing that it might threaten her career.

From Washington Times

When nurse Julia Buffo was told by her Montana hospital that she had to be vaccinated against COVID-19, she responded by filling out paperwork declaring that the shots run afoul of her religious beliefs.

From Washington Times

Religious exemptions like the one Buffo obtained are increasingly becoming a workaround for unvaccinated hospital and nursing home workers who want to keep their jobs in the face of federal mandates that are going into effect nationwide this week.

From Washington Times