buffe
/bʌf/
buffe noun: a piece of armor covering either the entire face, or the lower face together with a visor that covered the upper face, typically made of multiple lames that could be opened by being lowered (a falling buffe) or raised.
Noun
buffe (plural buffes)
- A piece of armor covering either the entire face, or the lower face together with a visor that covered the upper face, typically made of multiple lames that could be opened by being lowered (a falling buffe) or raised.
- It was used by the arquebusiers in 1560, and a buffe or chin-piece was strapped in front when occasion required.1884, The Boy's Own Paper, page 119
- [In] a drawing of 1569 by Hogenberg […] It will be noticed that those engaged have the high standing buffes and the upper part of the visors of their helmets open for the convenience of breathing.1904, The Archaeological Journal, page 308
Examples of buffe in a sentence
- With its hinged 'buffe' (visor) lowered, the head and neck was completely enclosed; the excellent protection it afforded allows Cleopatra to describe Antony figuratively as 'burgonet of men' (1.5.24).2004, Charles Edelman, Shakespeare's Military Language: A Dictionary, A&C Black, →ISBN, page 65:
- As no means were provided in the early armets for holding the visor down[,] the buffe projected above it and prevented its being forced up by a lance or sword thrust.2013, George Cameron Stone, A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor: in All Countries and in All Times...
- 14 Closed and fully open views of a typical 'falling buffe' helmet of the period.2017 September 21, Bouko de Groot, Dutch Armies of the 80 Years’ War 1568–1648 (2): Cavalry, Artillery & Engineers, Bloomsbury Publishing...
Forms of buffe
| plural | buffes |
|---|---|
| alternative form | buff |
Origin of buffe
From Old French buffe.
Questions about buffe
- What does buffe mean?
- Buffe means a piece of armor covering either the entire face, or the lower face together with a visor that covered the upper face, typically made of multiple lames that could be opened by being lowered (a falling buffe) or raised.
- How do you use buffe in a sentence?
- With its hinged 'buffe' (visor) lowered, the head and neck was completely enclosed; the excellent protection it afforded allows Cleopatra to describe Antony figuratively as 'burgonet of men' (1.5.24).
- What part of speech is buffe?
- Buffe is a noun.
- How do you pronounce buffe?
- Buffe is pronounced /bʌf/.
- What is the plural of buffe?
- The plural of buffe is buffes.
Words near buffe in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: buffe (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “buffe.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/buffe. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.