Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of various large, nonvenomous, chiefly tropical snakes of the family Boidae, which includes the anacondas, the boa constrictor, and other snakes that coil around and asphyxiate their prey.
  • noun A long fluffy scarf made of soft material, such as fur or feathers.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun [capitalized] In herpetology, a genus of very large non-venomous serpents, of the family Boidæ, notable for their power of constriction.
  • noun In ordinary language, some large serpent, as a boa-constrictor, anaconda, or python; any member of the family Boidæ or Pythonidæ.
  • noun A long and slender cylindrical wrap of fur, worn by women round the neck.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Zoöl.) A genus of large American serpents, including the boa constrictor, the emperor boa of Mexico (Boa imperator), and the chevalier boa of Peru (Boa eques).
  • noun A long, round fur tippet; -- so called from its resemblance in shape to the boa constrictor.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Any of a group of large American snakes, of the genus Boa, including the boa constrictor, the emperor boa of Mexico, and the chevalier boa of Peru.
  • noun A type of scarf typically made from feathers.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a long thin fluffy scarf of feathers or fur
  • noun any of several chiefly tropical constrictors with vestigial hind limbs

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Latin boa, a large water snake.]

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Examples

  • The emperor boa, or boa constrictor as well as all the others to which the name boa applies are, according to Cuvier, natives of America.

    Forest & Frontiers 1867

  • Baltzer, Roe, and the boa are the only constants since we started seeing each other.

    Black Magic Cherry Adair 2010

  • Baltzer, Roe, and the boa are the only constants since we started seeing each other.

    Black Magic Cherry Adair 2010

  • Baltzer, Roe, and the boa are the only constants since we started seeing each other.

    Black Magic Cherry Adair 2010

  • The boa, which is occasionally seen, is huge and alarming in appearance; but it is looked upon as a friend rather than an enemy.

    Little Journey to Puerto Rico : for Intermediate and Upper Grades For Intermediate and Upper Grades Marian M. George

  • The most interesting are the enormous snakes, called boa-constrictors, with bodies nearly as thick as a child's, and many yards in length.

    The Children's Book of London

  • Scrubby coat and trousers, dirty shirt, scarf, and cap, socks more like anklets for holes, and a pair of split boots; bedraggled hat, frowsy jacket, blouse and skirt, squashy boots, and perhaps a patchy "pelerine" or mangy "boa" -- such is accepted as the natural costume for the heirs of all the ages.

    Essays in Rebellion Henry W. Nevinson 1900

  • "If the boa is a snake, he is the fellow I want to see," replied Felix.

    Across India Or, Live Boys in the Far East Oliver Optic 1859

  • "Most of my animals are not on the endangered species list with the exception of the (ring tailed) lemur and the Hog Island boa, which is extinct in the wild," she said.

    The Gazette-Enterprise: News 2010

  • "Most of my animals are not on the endangered species list with the exception of the (ring tailed) lemur and the Hog Island boa, which is extinct in the wild," she said.

    The Gazette-Enterprise: News 2010

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  • located in Merriam Webtster's Notebook Dictionary pg 9

    September 25, 2010