Buffball

/ˈbɑfˌbɔl/ noun

Definition

A type of ball game or sport involving hitting or throwing a ball, historically played in England and Scotland.

Etymology

Compound word from 'buff' (a color or the soft leather) and 'ball'. The exact etymology is unclear, but it appears in 16th-century English records as a parlor or street game.

Kelly Says

Buffball appears in Shakespeare's time but has almost completely vanished from modern English—it's a ghost word that shows how games we forget ever existed once had specific names that mattered to entire communities.

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