Английский разговорный словарь (основной) - buffer(1)

n. & v. --n. 1 a a device that protects against or reduces the effect of an impact. b Brit. such a device (usu. one of a pair) on the front and rear of a railway vehicle or at the end of a track. 2 Biochem. a substance that maintains the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution when an acid or alkali is added. 3 Computing a temporary memory area or queue for data to aid its transfer between devices or programs operating at different speeds etc. --v.tr. 1 act as a buffer to. 2 Biochem. treat with a buffer. øbuffer State a small State situated between two larger ones potentially hostile to one another and regarded as reducing the likelihood of open hostilities. buffer stock a reserve of commodity to offset price fluctuations. [prob. f. obs. buff (v.), imit. of the sound of a soft body struck]