Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Buffalo \Buf"fa*lo\, n.; pl. {Buffaloes}. [Sp. bufalo (cf. It.
bufalo, F. buffle), fr. L. bubalus, bufalus, a kind of
African stag or gazelle; also, the buffalo or wild ox, fr.
Gr. ? buffalo, prob. fr. ? ox. See {Cow} the animal, and cf.
{Buff} the color, and {Bubale}.]
1. (Zo["o]l.) A species of the genus {Bos} or {Bubalus} ({B.
bubalus}), originally from India, but now found in most of
the warmer countries of the eastern continent. It is
larger and less docile than the common ox, and is fond of
marshy places and rivers.
2. (Zo["o]l.) A very large and savage species of the same
genus ({B. Caffer}) found in South Africa; -- called also
{Cape buffalo}.
3. (Zo["o]l.) Any species of wild ox.
4. (Zo["o]l.) The bison of North America.
5. A buffalo robe. See {Buffalo robe}, below.
6. (Zo["o]l.) The buffalo fish. See {Buffalo fish}, below.
{Buffalo berry} (Bot.), a shrub of the Upper Missouri
({Sherherdia argentea}) with acid edible red berries.
{Buffalo bird} (Zo["o]l.), an African bird of the genus
{Buphaga}, of two species. These birds perch upon
buffaloes and cattle, in search of parasites.
{Buffalo bug}, the carpet beetle. See under {Carpet}.
{Buffalo chips}, dry dung of the buffalo, or bison, used for
fuel. [U.S.]
{Buffalo clover} (Bot.), a kind of clover ({Trifolium
reflexum} and {T.soloniferum}) found in the ancient
grazing grounds of the American bison.
{Buffalo cod} (Zo["o]l.), a large, edible, marine fish
({Ophiodon elongatus}) of the northern Pacific coast; --
called also {blue cod}, and {cultus cod}.
{Buffalo fish} (Zo["o]l.), one of several large fresh-water
fishes of the family {Catostomid[ae]}, of the Mississippi
valley. The red-mouthed or brown ({Ictiobus bubalus}), the
big-mouthed or black ({Bubalichthys urus}), and the
small-mouthed ({B. altus}), are among the more important
species used as food.
{Buffalo fly}, or {Buffalo gnat} (Zo["o]l.), a small
dipterous insect of the genus {Simulium}, allied to the
black fly of the North. It is often extremely abundant in
the lower part of the Mississippi valley and does great
injury to domestic animals, often killing large numbers of
cattle and horses. In Europe the Columbatz fly is a
species with similar habits.
{Buffalo grass} (Bot.), a species of short, sweet grass
({Buchlo["e] dactyloides}), from two to four inches high,
covering the prairies on which the buffaloes, or bisons,
feed. [U.S.]
{Buffalo nut} (Bot.), the oily and drupelike fruit of an
American shrub ({Pyrularia oleifera}); also, the shrub
itself; oilnut.
{Buffalo robe}, the skin of the bison of North America,
prepared with the hair on; -- much used as a lap robe in
sleighs.
Source : WordNet®
Buchloe dactyloides
n : short grass growing on dry plains of central United States
(where buffalo roam) [syn: {buffalo grass}]