buffer1
n.
-
(buffers)
Brit. a pair of shock-absorbing pistons projecting from a cross-beam at the end of a railway track or on a railway vehicle.
- a person or thing that reduces a shock or forms a barrier between adversaries.
-
(also buffer solution)
Chemistry a solution which resists changes in pH when acid or alkali is added to it.
- Computing a temporary memory area or queue used when creating or editing text, or when transferring data.
v.
- lessen or moderate the impact of.
- treat with a chemical buffer.
Etymology
C19: prob. from obs. buff (v.), imitative of the sound of a blow to a soft body.
buffer2
n.
Brit. informal a foolishly old-fashioned or incompetent elderly man.
Etymology
C18: prob. from obs. buff (see buffer1), or from dial. buff ‘stutter, splutter’.