1. A
sort of leather, prepared from the
skin of the buffalo, dressed with oil,
like chamois; also, the skins of oxen, elks, and another animals, dressed in
like manner. "A suit of buff."
2. The
colour to buff; a
easy yellow, shading toward pink, gray, or brown. "A visage rough, Deformed, unfeatured, and a
skin of buff." (Dryden)
3. A military coat, made of
buff leather.
4.
The grayish viscid stuff constituting the buffy coat. See Buffy coat, under Buffy.
5. A wheel covered with buff leather, and used in polishing cutlery, spoons, etc.
6. The bare skin; as, to strip to the buff. "To be in buff is equivalent to being naked." (Wright)
Origin: OE. Buff, buffe, buff, buffalo, F. Buffle buffalo. See Buffalo.
1. Made of buff leather.
2. Of the colour of buff. Buff coat, a close, military outer garment, with short sleeves, and laced tightly over the chest, made of buffalo skin, or another fat and elastic material, worn by soldiers in the 17th century as a defensive covering. Buff jerkin, originally, a leather waistcoat; afterward, one of dress of a buff colour.
Buff stick, a strip of tree covered with buff leather, used in polishing.
Source: Websters Vocabulary