Question

rebuff verb Occurring frequently in news articles and headlines, rebuff derives (via Middle French rebuffer) from Old Italian ribuffare, meaning "to reprimand," and ultimately from the imitative verb buffare, meaning "to puff." (You might guess that the verb buff, meaning "to polish," is a buffare descendant, but it is actually unrelated. It is derived from Middle French buffle, meaning "wild ox.") A similar word, rebuke, shares the "criticize" sense of rebuff, but not the "reject" sense (one can rebuke another's actions or policies, but one does not rebuke the advances of another, for example). Like rebuke, rebuff can also be used as a noun, as in "His proposal was met with a stern rebuff from the Board of Trustees." : to reject or criticize sharply : snub

Accepted Answer

October 21, 2018 rih-BUFF "The wait at [Sushi Sho in the Ritz-Carlton] is worth it for a chance to dine with the chef most famously known for rebuffing Michelin inspectors back home and eschewing the stars they'd have borne." — Cliff Lee, The Globe and Mail (Canada), 14 July 2018"When the 49ers first tried to trade for Jimmy Garoppolo early in the 2017 offseason, general manager John Lynch was rebuffed by Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who told Lynch that Garoppolo was unavailable." — Eric Ting, SFGate.com (San Francisco), 28 Aug. 2018

Word	rebuff
Date	October 21, 2018
Type	verb
Syllables	rih-BUFF
Etymology	Occurring frequently in news articles and headlines, rebuff derives (via Middle French rebuffer) from Old Italian ribuffare, meaning "to reprimand," and ultimately from the imitative verb buffare, meaning "to puff." (You might guess that the verb buff, meaning "to polish," is a buffare descendant, but it is actually unrelated. It is derived from Middle French buffle, meaning "wild ox.") A similar word, rebuke, shares the "criticize" sense of rebuff, but not the "reject" sense (one can rebuke another's actions or policies, but one does not rebuke the advances of another, for example). Like rebuke, rebuff can also be used as a noun, as in "His proposal was met with a stern rebuff from the Board of Trustees."
Examples	"The wait at [Sushi Sho in the Ritz-Carlton] is worth it for a chance to dine with the chef most famously known for rebuffing Michelin inspectors back home and eschewing the stars they'd have borne." — Cliff Lee, The Globe and Mail (Canada), 14 July 2018 "When the 49ers first tried to trade for Jimmy Garoppolo early in the 2017 offseason, general manager John Lynch was rebuffed by Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who told Lynch that Garoppolo was unavailable." — Eric Ting, SFGate.com (San Francisco), 28 Aug. 2018
Definition	: to reject or criticize sharply : snub

Rebuff Meaning Verb Middle French Rebuke Sense Garoppolo