Etymology

rebuff

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Today it means: A sudden resistance or refusal. Full definition →

French rebuffer ← Middle French rebuffer ← Italian ribuffare
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rebuff · noun, verb1

  1. Italian · derived fromribuffare
  2. Middle French · derived fromrebuffer
  3. French · borrowed fromrebuffer
  4. English todayrebuff

From obsolete French rebuffer, from Middle French rebuffer (compare French rebiffer (“to rise up, revolt”)), from Italian ribuffare.

rebuff · verb2

  1. Proto-Italic*wre-
  2. Latinre-
  3. Old Frenchre-
  4. Middle Englishre-
  5. Englishre-
  6. Ancient Greek[Term?]?
  7. Ancient Greekβούβαλος (boúbalos)
  8. Latinbūbalus
  9. Late Latinbufalus
  10. Italianbufalo
  11. Old Frenchbufle
  12. Middle Frenchbuffle
  13. Englishbuffe
  14. Englishbuff
  15. English todayrebuff

From re- + buff.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.