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

There were pieces that looked as if they belonged in the Middle Ages, dresses covered in lace and golden thread, feather boas, jackets covered in stripes, canes with metal heads, robes fit for Merlin himself.

From Literature

Better than being buried in an anthill with a boa constrictor around your neck and lima beans stuffed in your mouth.

From Literature

“I can’t prove who the snake belonged to,” Mr. Crabtree said, “and even if I could, why would I? It wasn’t a boa constrictor, you know, and it was dead to begin with.”

From Literature

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

Related Words

• bandanna
• shawl
• stole