boa

CEFRC2

/ˈbəʊ.ə/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A large snake that kills prey by squeezing it.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A member of a Bwa-speaking ethnic group of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Examples

  • A boa is very dangerous, and an elephant is very bulky.

  • The monkey was swallowed by a boa constrictor.

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
4
Parts of speech
1
Citations
1

Also pronounced

  • /ˈboʊ.ə/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

More examples

In context

  • Do not take up your boa as if it were the rope with which you meant to hang yourself; nor wrap your shawl round you as if it were your shroud.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The snake charmer carefully draped the large blank around his shoulders.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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.