overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

buffalo.

An animal from the subtribe Bubalina, also known as true buffalos, such as the Cape buffalo, Syncerus caffer, or the water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis.

7 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈbʌf.əl.əʊ/Received-Pronunciation/ˈbʌf.ə.loʊ/US
  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.

    abbreviation · alt-of · ellipsis
  4. The buffalo fish (Ictiobus spp.).

  5. A nickel.

    US · slang
  6. A looter during the Civil War.

    US · historical · slang
  7. A large or stupid person.

    derogatory · slang
  8. An obese person, usually a woman.

    derogatory · slang
  9. A black male.

    derogatory · offensive · slang
  10. Ellipsis of American buffalo (“gold bullion coin”).

    abbreviation · alt-of · ellipsis
Where this word comes from

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.

verb/ˈbʌf.əl.əʊ/Received-Pronunciation/ˈbʌf.ə.loʊ/US
  1. To hunt buffalo.

    transitive
  2. To outwit, confuse, deceive, or intimidate.

    US · slang · transitive
  3. To pistol-whip.

    archaic · transitive
Where this word comes from

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.

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

buffalo has 7 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

buffalo studiobuffalo workshello, buffalo

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.