The term “buffoon” can refer to a clown or jester who entertained people in the Middle Ages, but can also be used to describe someone who is foolish or clumsy. The term originated from the Italian word “buffare” and was borrowed by the French. Buffoons had to walk a fine line between being funny and being offensive, and were sometimes the only ones bold enough to make critical comments on the state of the kingdom. In modern times, the term is used to describe someone who looks like an idiot or makes obvious mistakes.
A fool is a fool. The term is used both to describe amusing, but amusing fools such as clowns, and for people who publicly make a fool of themselves, such as inept officials. The term is also used more generally to describe someone who is foolish or clumsy. In general, one does not consider the term complementary unless one is a professional clown or jester.
The term has been used in English since at least 1549 and was probably borrowed from Old French. The French actually took their word from the Italians, who referred to a jester as a buffoon, a word derived from buffare, a word meaning “to blow checks.” Buffare is believed to be of imitative origin. In any case, the British, along with many other European nations, had court jesters, buffoons and clowns who entertained people with their antics in the Middle Ages.
In the sense of a clown or jester, a buffoon is a form of professional entertainer. Buffoons in the Middle Ages often wore flamboyant, brightly colored clothing and played musical instruments as well as offering physical comedy and verbal wit. Buffoons often carried mock sceptres and wore bell-shaped hats that imitated crowns, making them the only people in court who could make fun of the monarch, even indirectly.
The role of a buffoon could actually be quite dangerous. Buffoons were expected to amuse the court, but they had to walk a fine line between being funny and being offensive. Some monarchs expected their so-called “fools” to actually be sharp, witty and political, and buffoons were sometimes the only ones bold enough to make critical comments on the state of the kingdom. Over time, the jester was phased out, as trends in royal courts changed, although words like ‘jester’, ‘fool’ and ‘fool’ exist in many languages today.
In the modern sense, most people use “fool” to refer to someone who looks like an idiot. A public figure could be called a buffoon if he makes an obvious gaffe, and the world can also be used to describe someone who is extremely socially awkward. Both physical and verbal mistakes could lead to someone being labeled a “buffoon.” In modern France, some clowns and entertainers call themselves bouffon in reference to the first sense of the word.
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