Boas
[boh-az]
- Franz [frahnts] /frɑnts/, 1858–1942, U.S. anthropologist, born in Germany.
boa
[boh-uh]
- any of several nonvenomous, chiefly tropical constrictors of the family Boidae, having vestigial hind limbs at the base of the tail.
- a scarf or stole of feathers, fur, or fabric.
Origin of boa
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin: water adder
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for boas
Contemporary Examples
The bright fur accessories include fur bowties, boas, and camera straps.
Historical Examples
There are jaguars in there, and boas—serpents ten yards in length.
Boy Scouts in the Canal ZoneG. Harvey Ralphson
The incorrigible and merciless Mr Boas does not let this pass.
The boas, for example, have no less than three hundred and four!
The Animal World, A Book of Natural HistoryTheodore Wood
Both Boas and Weir were believed to be "short" of the stock.
My Adventures with Your MoneyGeorge Graham Rice
Tobias and Boas, however, are the best hunters of the village.
Eskimo LifeFridtjof Nansen
Boas
- Franz (frants). 1858–1942, US anthropologist, born in Germany. He made major contributions to cultural and linguistic anthropology in studies of North American Indians, including The Mind of Primitive Man (1911; 1938)
boa
- any large nonvenomous snake of the family Boidae, most of which occur in Central and South America and the Caribbean. They have vestigial hind limbs and kill their prey by constriction
- a woman's long thin scarf, usually of feathers or fur
Word Origin
C19: from New Latin, from Latin: a large Italian snake, water snake
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for boas
boa
n.
late 14c., "large snake," from Latin boa, type of large serpent mentioned in Pliny's "Natural History;" origin unknown (in Middle English folk etymology associated with Greek bous "ox"). Extension to "snake-like coil of fur worn by ladies" is from 1836. Boa constrictor so called from 1788.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Boas
[bō′ăz]
- German-born American anthropologist who emphasized the systematic analysis of culture and language structures.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.