BO Bo, interj. Etym: [Cf. W. bw, an interj. of threatening or frightening; n., terror, fear, dread.]
Defn: An exclamation used to startle or frighten. [Spelt also boh and boo.]
BOA Bo"a, n.; pl. Boas . Etym: [L. boa a kind of water serpent. Perh. fr. bos an ox.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of large American serpents, including the boa constrictor, the emperor boa of Mexico (B. imperator), and the chevalier boa of Peru (B. eques).
Note: The name is also applied to related genera; as, the dog-headed boa (Xiphosoma caninum).
2. A long, round fur tippet; — so called from its resemblance in shape to the boa constrictor.
BOA CONSTRICTOR
Bo"a con*strict"or. Etym: [NL. See Boa, and Constrictor.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large and powerful serpent of tropical America, sometimes twenty or thirty feet long. See Illustration in Appendix.
Note: It has a succession of spots, alternately black and yellow, extending along the back. It kills its prey by constriction. The name is also loosely applied to other large serpents which crush their prey, particularly to those of the genus Python, found in Asia and Africa.