buffalo
n. countablen. a large animal with horns that looks like a very big, hairy cow. You usually find them in Africa, Asia, or North America.
n. any of several large, heavy-set bovines with massive horns, such as the African buffalo or the water buffalo. Often used to refer to the American bison in common parlance.
We saw a large buffalo grazing in the field.
The herd of buffalo moved slowly across the grassy plains in search of a fresh water source.
Conservation efforts in the late twentieth century were instrumental in restoring the buffalo population to levels that could sustain the local ecosystem.
*(North America): Probably from buffalo (“American bison”) (Bison bison), since both cities are in regions that had wild herds at the time the names originated. Buffalo, New York was named after the Buffalo River, which an alternative etymology says is from French beau fleuve (“beautiful river”), but the more likely explanation is that it was named for the animal. *(South Africa): From buffalo (Syncerus caffer), subsp. Cape buffalo commonly found in the region.
The plural can be 'buffalo' or 'buffaloes'; the former is more common when referring to a herd.