Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BUF-FOON', n. [Fr. bouffon; It. buffo; Sp. bufon, a buffoon, comical; It. beffare and buffare, to trifle, joke, play the fool; Sp. befar, to mock or ridicule; bufar, to blow, or puff with anger, to snort; Port. id. These verbs indicate the origin of buffoonery. The root of buffet, puff, signifies to drive, to push, to strike. See Puff.]

1. A man who makes a practice of amusing others by low tricks, antic gestures and postures, jokes and other vulgar pleasantries. A droll; a mimick. – Johnson. Encyc.
2. He that uses indecent raillery. – Garth.