The Probert Encyclopaedia of People

BUFFOON

A buffoon is a merry-andrew, a clown, a jester. The term comes from the Italian buffone, from buffare, to jest, to sport. Buffo, in Italian, is the name given to a comic actor; a burlesque play is called a commedia buffa, and a comic opera opera buffa. The Italians, however, distinguish the buffo cantante, which requires good singing, from the buffo comico, in which there is more acting.
Research Buffoon