Buffon
Americannoun
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Georges Louis Leclerc Comte de, 1707–88, French naturalist.
noun
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Georges Louis Leclerc (ʒɔrʒ lwi ləklɛr), Comte de . 1707–88, French encyclopedist of natural history; principal author of Histoire naturelle (36 vols., 1749–89), containing the Époques de la nature (1777), which foreshadowed later theories of evolution
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French naturalist who spent his life compiling the Histoire naturelle, in which he attempted to discuss all of the facts about the natural world known at that time. It eventually reached 44 volumes and laid the foundation for later studies in biology, zoology, and anatomy.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Throughout Gattuso's press conference, Gianluigi Buffon sat quietly at the side of the room and watched his World Cup-winning team-mate speak.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
Zinedine Zidane scored one for France in the 2006 World Cup final, beating Italy keeper Gianluigi Buffon with an effort that went in off the crossbar.
From BBC • Jan. 18, 2026
Following Buffon, Diderot posited three levels of life: the life of the entire animal, the life of each of its organs and the life of the molecule.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026
In total, 29 players have won the Under-21 European Championship and then a major senior tournament, including Laurent Blanc, Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluigi Buffon, Francesco Totti and Manuel Neuer.
From BBC • Jun. 29, 2025
The most pertinent consideration about the incognitum, however, was that it appeared to be extinct–a fact that Buffon cheerfully seized upon as proof of its incontestably degenerate nature.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.