boa

Meaning

1. Any of a group of large American snakes, of the genus Boa, subfamily Boinae, or family Boidae, including the boa constrictor and the emperor boa of Mexico.
2. A type of long scarf; typically made from synthetic or real feathers (or occasionally fur), and usually worn by being draped across the shoulders with the ends hanging low, sometimes also with a loop around the neck.
3. A member of a Bwa-speaking ethnic group of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
4. Abbreviation of basin of attraction; the gravitational center of a supercluster of galaxies; a Great Attractor.
5. Initialism of British Olympic Association.

Etymology / origin

From Middle English boa, from Latin boa (“large snake”), a species of serpent mentioned in Pliny's Naturalis Historia (Natural History). The scarf was named attributively, for its resemblance to the snake when worn.

Related words

Descendant words

• βόας(Greek) (bor)

Sources

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