boa

American  

[boh-uh] / ˈboʊ ə /

noun

plural

boas

1. any of several nonvenomous, chiefly tropical constrictors of the family Boidae, having vestigial hind limbs at the base of the tail.

2. a scarf or stole of feathers, fur, or fabric.

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boa British  

/ ˈbəʊə /

noun

1. 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

2. a woman's long thin scarf, usually of feathers or fur

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Etymology

Origin of boa

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin: water adder

Example Sentences

This method uses a family tree of snakes to infer the body lengths of ancient anacondas and related modern species such as tree boas and rainbow boas.

From Science Daily

Using powerful microscopes, the researchers discovered that species such as ball pythons, Angolan pythons, and Madagascan tree boas produce urates made up of tiny textured spheres between 1 and 10 micrometers across.

From Science Daily

Part of why I love that it’s Vegas is that there’s this ceilinglessness in terms of no holds barred again, like I want to wear a boa.

From Los Angeles Times

In their family photos, Lincoln wore a feather boa to match Rowan and Finley’s.

From Los Angeles Times

We went out back and put boas on and we had our moment.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bandanna
• shawl
• stole