buf·fet¹ (bə-fā', bū-)
n.

1. A large sideboard with drawers and cupboards.
2. 1. A counter or table from which meals or refreshments are served.
   2. A restaurant having such a counter.
3. A meal at which guests serve themselves from various dishes displayed on a table or sideboard.

adj.
Informally served: a buffet luncheon.

[French.]

buf·fet² (bŭf'ĭt)
n.
A blow or cuff with or as if with the hand.


v., -fet·ed, -fet·ing, -fets.

v.tr.

1. To hit or beat, especially repeatedly.
2. To strike against forcefully; batter: winds that buffeted the tent. See synonyms at beat.
3. To drive or force with or as if with repeated blows: was buffeted about from job to job by the vagaries of the economy.
4. To force (one's way) with difficulty.

v.intr.
To force one's way with difficulty: a ship buffeting against the wind.

[Middle English, from Old French buffet, diminutive of buffe, blow.]

buffeter buf'fet·er n.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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