Why a computer buffer is called a buffer

I did some research just now on what 'buffer' meant in the early days of computers. It actually mean a logical-or circuit. It appears to have been used in the input circuits of the ENIAC.

I can conjecture that the progression was logical-or -> input circuits -> input data -> I/O-based register -> secondary storage. But if so, the use in computing may derive from the 1950s when the "buffer" was part of main memory, and not a later use when it was a secondary temporary storage.

Anyway, the details of my research are in the moderation queue for this blog entry.