Buff (latin ''bubalinus'') is a light
brown
Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model us ...
ish
yellow
Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the ...
,
ochreous colour, typical of
buff leather. Buff is a mixture of
yellow ochre
Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produced ...
and
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
: two parts of
white lead
White lead is the basic lead carbonate 2PbCO3·Pb(OH)2. It is a complex salt, containing both carbonate and hydroxide ions. White lead occurs naturally as a mineral, in which context it is known as hydrocerussite, a hydrate of cerussite. It was ...
and one part of
yellow ochre
Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produced ...
produces a good buff, or white lead may be tinted with French ochre alone.
As an
RYB quaternary colour, it is the colour produced by an equal mix of the tertiary colours
citron
The citron (''Citrus medica''), historically cedrate, is a large fragrant citrus fruit with a thick rind. It is said to resemble a 'huge, rough lemon'. It is one of the original citrus fruits from which all other citrus types developed throu ...
and
russet.
Etymology
The first recorded use of the word ''buff'' to describe a colour was in ''
The London Gazette
''The London Gazette'' is one of the official journals of record or government gazettes of the Government of the United Kingdom, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are ...
'' of 1686, describing a uniform to be "...a Red Coat with a Buff-colour'd lining". It referred to the colour of undyed buffalo leather, such as soldiers wore as some protection:
an eyewitness to the death in the
Battle of Edgehill
The Battle of Edgehill (or Edge Hill) was a pitched battle of the First English Civil War. It was fought near Edge Hill and Kineton in southern Warwickshire on Sunday, 23 October 1642.
All attempts at constitutional compromise between ...
(1642) of
Sir Edmund Verney noted "he would neither put on arms
rmouror
buff coat
The European buff coat is an item of leather clothing that was primarily worn by cavalry and officers during the 17th century, but also worn by a small number of infantry. It was often worn under iron or steel armour for the torso ( back and br ...
the day of the battle". Such
buff leather was suitable for ''
buffing
Polishing and buffing are finishing processes for smoothing a workpiece's surface using an abrasive and a work wheel or a leather strop. Technically, ''polishing'' refers to processes that uses an abrasive that is glued to the work wheel, while ...
'' or serving as a ''
buffer
Buffer may refer to:
Science
* Buffer gas, an inert or nonflammable gas
* Buffer solution, a solution used to prevent changes in pH
* Buffering agent, the weak acid or base in a buffer solution
* Lysis buffer, in cell biology
* Metal ion buffer
* ...
'' between polished objects. It is not clear which bovine "''buffalo''" referred to, but it may not have been any of the
animals called "buffalo" today.
Derived terms
The word ''buff'' meaning "
enthusiast
In modern usage, enthusiasm refers to intense enjoyment, interest, or approval expressed by a person. The term is related to playfulness, inventiveness, optimism and high energy. The word was originally used to refer to a person possessed by G ...
" or "expert" (US English) derives from the colour "buff", specifically from the buff-coloured uniform facings of 19th-century New York City volunteer firemen, who inspired partisan followers among particularly keen fire watchers.
"In the buff", today meaning naked, originally applied to English soldiers wearing the buff leather
tunic
A tunic is a garment for the body, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the knees. The name derives from the Latin ''tunica'', the basic garment worn by both men and women in Ancient Rome ...
that was their uniform until the 17th century. The "naked" signification is due to the perception that (English) skin is buff-coloured.
In nature
Geology
Sand, rock, and
loess tend to be buff in many areas.
File:Sand Drawings.JPG, Buff sand
File:Short Cliff - geograph.org.uk - 881661.jpg, Buff rock at the top of a cliff
File:LoessVicksburg.jpg, Buff loess
Natural selection
Because buff is effective in
camouflage
Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...
, it is often naturally selected.
File:AB Keeled Scales.jpg, Buff bands on a snake
File:Phalera bucephala MHNT.jpg, A moth with buff wingtips (''Phalera bucephala
The buff-tip (''Phalera bucephala'') is a moth of the family Notodontidae. It is found throughout Europe and in Asia to eastern Siberia. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''.
Descri ...
'')
File:Phalera bucephala, Mondvogel 6.JPG, The buff wingtips of this moth aid in camouflage.
File:Panellus_stipticus_8445.jpg, Buff fungi
A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...
Many
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
are named for their buff markings, including the
buff arches moth, the
buff-bellied climbing mouse
The buff-bellied climbing mouse (''Rhipidomys fulviventer'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.
It is found in Colombia and Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República ...
, and at least sixty birds, including the
buff-fronted quail-dove
The buff-fronted quail-dove, or Costa Rican quail-dove (''Zentrygon costaricensis''), is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama.Schulenberg, T. S. and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Buff-fronted Quail-Dove (''Zen ...
, the
buff-vented bulbul, and the
buff-spotted flufftail
The buff-spotted flufftail (''Sarothrura elegans'') is a species of bird in the family Sarothruridae.
It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, ...
.
File:Nomascus-gabriellae.jpg, A pair of northern buffed-cheeked gibbons
File:Buff-banded Rail LEI Jan08.jpg, The buff-banded rail
The buff-banded rail (''Hypotaenidia philippensis'') is a distinctively coloured, highly dispersive, medium-sized rail of the rail family, Rallidae. This species comprises several subspecies found throughout much of Australasia and the south-we ...
File:Theristicus caudatus (Coclí) (5145728595).jpg, The buff-necked ibis
File:Tangara cayana1.jpg, The burnished-buff tanager
In culture
Architecture
In areas where buff raw materials are available, buff walls and buildings may be found.
Cotswold stone
The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale.
The area is defined by the bedrock of Jur ...
is an example of such a material.
File:The Street - geograph.org.uk - 350549.jpg, Traditional buff stone buildings
File:Poplar, Follett Street, E14 (1) - geograph.org.uk - 934243.jpg, Modern buff brick buildings (centre)
Stationery and art
Unless bleached or dyed, paper products, such as
Manila paper
Manila paper is a relatively inexpensive type of paper, generally made through a less-refined process than other types of paper, and is typically made from semi-bleached wood fibers. It is just as strong as kraft paper but has better printing qu ...
, tend to be buff. Buff
envelope
An envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin, flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter or card.
Traditional envelopes are made from sheets of paper cut to one of three shapes: a rhombus, a sh ...
s are used extensively in commercial mailings.
File:ManilaPaper.jpg, Manila paper
File:SayilmisSecimZarflari.JPG, Buff envelopes
Buff paper is sometimes favoured by artists seeking a neutral background colour for drawings, especially those featuring the colour white.
File:Portrait of a gentleman by Sir Peter Lely.jpg, Red and white chalk portrait on buff paper
File:Waterfall at Tivoli by George Hayter.jpg, Black chalk with brown wash, heightened with white on buff paper
File:Tour de St Romain Rouen cathedral by William Froome Smallwood.jpg, Graphite drawing with watercolour wash on buff paper
Artificial selection
Buff domesticated animals and plants have been created, including dogs, cats, and poultry. The word ''buff'' is used in written standards of several
breeds, and some, such as the
Buff turkey, are specifically named "buff".
File:American Cocker Spaniel buff portrait.jpg, A buff gun dog
Gun dogs, or bird dogs, are types of hunting dogs developed to assist hunters in finding and retrieving game, usually quail, dove, or duck. Gun dogs are divided into three primary types: retrievers, flushing dogs, and pointing breeds.
Types ...
File:Shaded Tan Maine Coon cat.jpg, A buff mousing cat
File:Buff_Orpington_chicken,_UK.jpg, A buff chicken
File:Orpington Duck 2014-10-20 001.jpg, The Buff Orpington Duck
File:Rosa 'Buff Beauty'.jpg, The rose cultivar
A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...
'Buff Beauty'.
Clothing
In 16th- and 17th-century
European culture
The culture of Europe is rooted in its art, architecture, film, different types of music, economics, literature, and philosophy. European culture is largely rooted in what is often referred to as its "common cultural heritage".
Definition ...
s, buff
waistcoat
A waistcoat ( UK and Commonwealth, or ; colloquially called a weskit), or vest ( US and Canada), is a sleeveless upper-body garment. It is usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear. ...
s ("vests" in American English), were considered proper
casual wear. In the 17th century, the traditional colour of formal
dress boot
Dress boots are short leather boots typically worn by men. Built like dress shoes, but with uppers covering the ankle, versions of the boots are used as an alternative to these in bad weather or rough outdoor situation, and as a traditional option ...
uppers was often described as "buff".
File:Musician Holding Bagpipes 1632.jpg, 17th-century English musician wearing a buff waistcoat
File:Piccolomini_5.jpg, 17th-century Italian nobleman wearing buff dress boot uppers
John Bull
Clothing depicted on
John Bull
John Bull is a national personification of the United Kingdom in general and England in particular, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works. He is usually depicted as a stout, middle-aged, country-dwelling, jolly and matter- ...
, a
national personification of
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
in general and
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in particular, in political cartoons and similar graphic works, has often been buff coloured.
Bull's buff waistcoats, topcoats,
["AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion," ]Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
(2006), exhibition brochure, p. 2. trousers
and boot uppers
were typical of 18th- and 19th-century Englishmen.
File:Tree_of_liberty.jpg, Early depiction of John Bull with the buff clothing typical of an 18th-century Englishman
File:John Bull - World War I recruiting poster.jpeg, John Bull wearing buff dress boot uppers
File:The Great Rapprochement.jpg, John Bull wearing buff trousers
17th-century military uniforms
File:HGM Saal 1 Musketiere und Pikeniere.jpg, Buff German uniforms
File:Footpath to Hall Hill, near West Keal - geograph.org.uk - 717980.jpg, Dry vegetation in Europe
=The British army
=
The
Royal East Kent Regiment
The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), formerly the 3rd Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army traditionally raised in the English county of Kent and garrisoned at Canterbury. It had a history dating back to 1572 and ...
was nicknamed "The Buffs" from the colour of their
waistcoat
A waistcoat ( UK and Commonwealth, or ; colloquially called a weskit), or vest ( US and Canada), is a sleeveless upper-body garment. It is usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear. ...
s. The phrase "Steady the Buffs!", popularised by
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work.
...
in his 1888 work ''
Soldiers Three
''Soldiers Three'' is a collection of short stories by Rudyard Kipling. The three soldiers of the title are Learoyd, Mulvaney and Ortheris, who had also appeared previously in the collection '' Plain Tales from the Hills''. The current version, ...
'', has its origins during 2nd Battalion's garrison duties in Malta. Adjutant Cotter, not wanting to be shown up in front of his former regiment, the 21st
Royal (North British) Fusiliers, spurred his men on with the words: "Steady, the Buffs! The Fusiliers are watching you."
File:Soldier of 3rd regiment 1742.jpg, Soldier of The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) wearing "a new Red Coat lin'd with a Buff colour'd lining, .... Breeches of the same colour as the Coat lining."
U.S. Army
The uniform of the American
Continental Army was buff and blue.
Buff is the traditional colour of the
U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps.
The
U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry specifies a "buff"
tincture
A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...
for certain
coats of arms, often treating it as a metal for purposes of the
rule of tincture.
File:Infantry, Continental Army, 1779-1783.jpg, Continental Army uniforms: "The Buff and Blue"
File:Chevron - Quartermaster Sergeant 1902-1909.png, US chevron - quartermaster sergeant insignia (1902-1909) buff on black with blue detail.
File:43rdSBSSI.svg, USAIH illustration which specifies "a buff colored vertical rectangular embroidered item"
U.S. universities, fraternities and schools
The colours of
George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...
and
Hamilton College
Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...
are buff and blue, modelled on the military uniform of General
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
and the Continental Army. Both General Washington and
Alexander Hamilton, as chief of staff, had a role in the design of the uniforms.
Other school colours described as "buff and blue" include
Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., and
Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Buff is one of three colours of the
Alpha Gamma Delta
Alpha Gamma Delta (), also known as Alpha Gam, is an international women's fraternity and social organization. It was founded on May 30, 1904, by eleven female students at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, making it the youngest member ...
fraternity, and one of two colours of the
Delta Chi
Delta Chi () is an international Greek letter collegiate social fraternity formed on October 13, 1890, at Cornell University, initially as a professional fraternity for law students. On April 30, 1922, Delta Chi became a general membership soc ...
fraternity.
File:George Washington by Peale 1776.jpg, General Washington wearing the buff and blue
File:George_Washington_University.jpg, George Washington University banners featuring the buff and blue
George Washington Colonials logo.svg, The buff and blue logo of the George Washington University Colonials
U.S. state flags
The flags of
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
and
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, and the former flags of
New York and
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...
, officially feature buff.
File:Flag of Delaware.svg, The flag of Delaware includes "a background of colonial blue surrounding a diamond of buff"
File:Flag of New Jersey.svg, The flag of New Jersey has "the State seal ... in Jersey blue on a buff background"
File:Flag of New York (1778-1901).svg, Former flag of New York (until 1901)
File:Flag of Maine (1901–1909).png, The 1901 Maine Flag
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20
* one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film
Music ...
flown from 1901 to 1909
Political usage
The colours of the
Whig Party, a British political faction, and later
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...
, as well as the American
Whig Party, were buff and blue.
File:Le_coup_de_maitre.jpg, Depiction of the Whig Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox (24 January 1749 – 13 September 1806), styled ''The Honourable'' from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned 38 years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was the arch-riv ...
wearing buff and blue
White Star buff
The
funnel
A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening.
Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its construct ...
s of the
RMS ''Titanic'' and all other ships of the
White Star Line
The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between t ...
were designated to be "buff with a black top" in order to indicate their ownership. There is some uncertainty among experts, however, as to the exact shade of what is now called "White Star buff". There is no surviving paint or formula, and although there are many painted postcards and at least seven colour photographs of White Star liners, the shades of the funnels in these varies due to many factors including the conditions under which they were originally made and the ageing of the pigments in which they were printed. Speaking mostly to
scale modellers, the Titanic Research and Modelling Association currently recommend a colour "in the range of the
Marschall color", meaning the colour in illustrations in a particular book.
As a relatively inexpensive and readily available paint colour, and one which went well alongside the near-universal black
hull and white
superstructure used on steamships at the time, White Star was far from the only shipping line to use a shade of buff as a funnel colour. The
Orient Line
The Orient Steam Navigation Company, also known as the Orient Line, was a British shipping company with roots going back to the late 18th century. From the early 20th century onwards, an association began with P&O which became 51% shareholde ...
and
Norddeutscher Lloyd
Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL; North German Lloyd) was a German shipping company. It was founded by Hermann Henrich Meier and Eduard Crüsemann in Bremen on 20 February 1857. It developed into one of the most important German shipping companies of t ...
used an entirely buff funnel without the black top, while
Canadian Pacific
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
and the
Swedish American Line employed a buff funnel with a representation of the company's
house flag
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...
on them. The
Bibby Line
Bibby Line is a UK company concerned with shipping and marine operations.
Its parent company, Bibby Line Group Limited, can be traced back to John Bibby who founded the company in 1807. The company along with the group is based in Liverpool. ...
and the
Fyffes Line
Fyffes Line was the name given to the fleet of passenger-carrying banana boats owned and operated by the UK banana importer Elders & Fyffes Limited.
History
With the formation of Elders & Fyffes Ltd in 1901 it was necessary to procure suitable ...
are two of several firms to use the same "buff with a black top" scheme as White Star, but with a similar lack of certainty as to the exact shade used and how this differed from the famous White Star scheme.
File:Colorful Oceanic.jpg, Ships of the White Star Line, such as the RMS ''Oceanic'' pictured here, and the ''Titanic,'' had buff funnels with black tops.
In Canadian heraldry
As well as being a colour used by the United States Army Institute of Heraldry, buff is also recognised as a
tincture
A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...
by the
Canadian Heraldic Authority
The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; french: Autorité héraldique du Canada) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for t ...
. It appears on the
heraldic badge and flag of the
Correctional Service of Canada
The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC; french: Service correctionnel du Canada), also known as Correctional Service Canada or Corrections Canada, is the Canadian federal government agency responsible for the incarceration and rehabilitation of ...
.
See also
*
List of colours
These are the lists of colors;
* List of colors: A–F
* List of colors: G–M
* List of colors: N–Z
* List of colors (compact)
* List of colors by shade
* List of color palettes
* List of Crayola crayon colors
* List of RAL colors
* List ...
*
Beige
Beige is variously described as a pale sandy fawn color, a grayish tan, a light-grayish yellowish brown, or a pale to grayish yellow. It takes its name from French, where the word originally meant natural wool that has been neither bleached nor ...
, a similar colour
*
Fallow
Fallow is a farming technique in which arable land is left without sowing for one or more vegetative cycles. The goal of fallowing is to allow the land to recover and store organic matter while retaining moisture and disrupting pest life cycl ...
*
Tan
Tan or TAN may refer to:
Businesses and organisations
* Black and Tans, a nickname for British special constables during the Irish War of Independence. By extension "Tans" can now also colloquially refer to English or British people in general, es ...
, a slightly darker, redder colour
*
Tawny
References
{{Heraldry
Quaternary colors
Shades of brown
Shades of yellow
Shades of orange
Colours (heraldry)
Metals (heraldry)
hi:भूरा#बादामी