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Nerd vs Buff - What's the difference?

nerd | buff |

As nouns the difference between nerd and buff

is that nerd is a person who is intellectual but generally introverted while buff is undyed leather from the skin of buffalo or similar animals.

As an adjective buff is

of the color of buff leather, a brownish yellow.

As a verb buff is

to polish and make shiny by rubbing.

As an acronym BUFF is

big Ugly Fat Fellow (or Fucker); US Airforce nickname for the B-52 bomber.

nerd

English

Alternative forms

* nurd (very rare)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A person who is intellectual but generally introverted
  • * 1953 Advertisement for "Businessman's Lunch", a play by Micheal Quinn, in Patricia Brown, Gloria Mundi
    • They particularly enjoy making fun of one of their fellows who is not present, whom they consider a hopeless nerd – until, that is, they learn he is engaged to marry the boss's daughter.
  • *
  • *
  • One who has an intense, obsessive interest in something.
    • a computer nerd
    a comic-book nerd
  • An unattractive, socially awkward, annoying, undesirable, and/or boring, person; a dork.
    • Only a nerd would wear yellow and blue stripes with green pants
    Nerds seem to have fun with each other, but in a way that causes others to laugh AT them.
    Why are you hanging out with that nerd ?

    Synonyms

    * (sense) dag (Australian), doofus, dork, dweeb, geek, goober, loser, propeller head, twerp, * See also

    Derived terms

    * arachnerd * cybernerd * entreprenerd * millionerd * nerdboy * nerdbrain * nerdcore * nerdette * nerdfest * nerdgasm * Nerdic * nerdification * nerdify * nerdiness * nerdish * nerdism * nerdistan * nerdlet * nerdlike * nerdling * nerdlinger * nerdo * nerdom/nerddom * nerd out * nerdsome * nerdspeak * nerdtastic * nerdvana * nerdy * technonerd

    References

    * Online Etymology Dictionary

    External links

    * (wikipedia) * (commonslite)

    Anagrams

    * English terms with unknown etymologies ----

    buff

    English

    Etymology 1

    From .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Undyed leather from the skin of buffalo or similar animals.
  • * Shakespeare
    • a suit of buff
  • A tool, often one covered with buff leather, used for polishing.
  • A brownish yellow colour.
  • * Dryden
    • a visage rough, deformed, unfeatured, and a skin of buff
  • A military coat made of buff leather.
    • (Shakespeare)
  • (informal) A person who is very interested in a particular subject; an enthusiast.
    • He’s a history buff .
  • (gaming) An effect that temporally makes a gaming character stronger.
  • (rail transport) Compressive coupler force that occurs during a slack bunched condition.
  • The bare skin.
    • to strip to the buff
  • * Wright
    • To be in buff is equivalent to being naked.
  • The greyish viscid substance constituting the buffy coat.
  • A substance used to dilute (street) drugs in order to increase profits.
  • * Police said the 20 ton hydraulic jack was used to press mixtures of cocaine and "buff" into bricks. (CBC)
    • Derived terms
    * in the buff
    Antonyms
    * (video games) debuff * (video games) nerf

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • Of the color of buff leather, a brownish yellow.
  • (bodybuilding): Unusually muscular. (also buffed'' or ''buffed out )
    • The bouncer was a big, buff dude with tattoos, a shaved head, and a serious scowl.
  • * 1994 , Blurred Boundaries: Questions of Meaning in Contemporary Culture , page 155:
    • The appearance of logic often derives from faulty syllogisms such as Sgt. Koon's conclusion that King was an ex-con because he was "buffed out " (heavily muscled). The thinking is: "ex-cons are often buffed out; this man is buffed out; therefore, this man is an ex-con."
  • (slang) attractive.
    • Derived terms
    * buff-tip moth * buffly

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To polish and make shiny by rubbing.
  • (gaming) To make a character stronger.
    • The enchanter buffed the paladin to prepare him to fight the dragon.
    Derived terms
    * buff out * buff up * buff wheel

    Synonyms

    * (to make smooth and shiny by rubbing) wax, shine, polish, furbish, burnish
    Antonyms
    * (video games) debuff * (video games) nerf

    See also

    *

    Etymology 2

    (etyl) .

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To strike.
    • (Ben Jonson)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) A buffet; a blow.
  • * Spenser
    • Nathless so sore a buff to him it lent / That made him reel.
    Derived terms
    * blind man's buff