The word buff has several meanings. Buff is a light yellow color. Buff is also a soft cloth used to rub a surface until it looks bright and shiny.
Yet these meanings are old and their history is not known.
The meaning of buff that we do know about is one that discribes a person.
A buff is someone who has a strong sepcial interest in something. For example, someone who loves jazz music is a jazz buff.
Someone who is deeply interested in the American Civil War is a civil war buff.
This meaning of the word is known to be American.
Its use started almost 200 years ago in New York City. At that time New York was a growing city.
There were no huge tall buildings of steel and stone. Buildings then were made of wood and brick.
