Buffon

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who amuses others by clowning or joking; a ridiculous or foolish individual often behaving in an exaggerated or silly manner; a professional entertainer specializing in comic acts or buffoonery
2. Someone who provokes laughter through antics and humorous behavior; an idiot or simpleton who acts in an absurd or embarrassing way; an artist or performer skilled in physical comedy or slapstick
3. An individual known for making others laugh by acting ludicrously; a silly or absurd character lacking seriousness; a comic figure who uses exaggerated gestures and expressions to entertain an audience

Etymology: The earliest sense was about a performer rather than a fool. Italian "buffone" meant a jester or joker, derived from "buffa," a jest, which is linked to "buffare," to puff out the cheeks. The image is of a comic puffing up his face to make an audience laugh. The root is thought to be imitative of puffing, though its exact Latin source is uncertain. The word passed into French as "bouffon" and reached English in the 1500s, when it still meant a professional jester. The sense of a silly or absurd person came later. "Buffon" is an older, now rare spelling of the English form "buffoon," and the two words are the same loan.

Synonyms: buffoon, clown, jester, fool, jokester

Antonyms: sage, wise person, intellectual, genius