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

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

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.