boa

[ boh-uh ]

/ ˈboʊ ə /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR boa ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural bo·as.

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.

Nearby words

bo hai, bo juyi, bo tree, bo's'n, bo-peep, boa, boa constrictor, boa vista, boab, boabdil, boac

Origin of boa

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin: water adder

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for boa

Most of them had picked their own clothes without a stylist, so there was a lot of boa and fringe and sparkles.
Joan Rivers Won't Shut Up (Thank God)|Jacob Bernstein|January 24, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Mack, according to reports, used his winnings to fill his home with Rottweilers, tarantulas, and a boa constrictor.
Lotto Death Curse|Anneli Rufus|February 19, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Did you ever see the boa constrictor fed at the Zoological Gardens?
Armadale|Wilkie Collins
About a year ago Mr. and Mrs. M. were away for six weeks, and left the boa in charge of a keeper at the Zoo.
Animal Intelligence|George J. Romanes

And you can have that boa you are fiddling with, if you like.
The Celebrity at Home|Violet Hunt
You might as well refuse to accept the embraces of a boa constrictor when once it gets round your neck.
Man And Superman|George Bernard Shaw
The great snake described by Schmidt must be the Boa, which lives near the watering-places waiting for its prey.
The Conquest of the River Plate (1535-1555)|Ulrich Schmidt

British Dictionary definitions for boa

boa

/ (ˈbəʊə) /

noun

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 for boa

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for boa

boa

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.