The word boa has traditionally two meanings. The first is a large snake from the genus of boas, which feeds on small animals, completely swallowing them. The second meaning of the word is a long furry fluffy scarf or cape for women. The latter is the most common in Russian.
Boa: gender of the noun and its origin
This word comes from the Latin language and literally translates as a water snake. The genus of the word "boa" is male or middle. It all depends on the value. At the moment, this word is used as a designation of an animal from the reptile class, and as the name of a female accessory, for example, ostrich boa. The gender of a noun is masculine if we are talking about the name boa constrictor.
If we are talking about a scarf, then two options are acceptable for the word "boa". The gender of the noun in this case is average, but use in the masculine is also permissible. This noun can be either animate or inanimate depending on the meaning. This word refers to the zero type of declination according to the typology of philologist A. Zaliznyak. That is, it does not incline in cases, as it is borrowed from the French language, from which it fell into Russian. The plural does not have the word "boa". The gender of a noun is thus quite simple to remember.
Ostrich scarf story
A feather cape was first used to complement and decorate the image from around the beginning of the nineteenth century. Basically it was the clothes of aristocrats and the elite. Boa has come in and out of fashion for many eras. This scarf had a reputation for being elegant, but was also sometimes regarded as very mannered and vulgar.
Historical eras when a feather cape was at its peak:
- The end of the Victorian era and the time of King Edward (between 1890 and 1915).
- In the 1920s.
- In the 70s, during the heyday of glam rock and disco music eras.
- In the late 1990s and early 21st centuries.
Who wore a boa?
Artists have long been using this accessory as part of their image. The following famous personalities wore Boa: Isadora Duncan dancer , singer Shirley Bassey, actors May West and Jesse Ventura, Hollywood superstars Billy Graham and Hulk Hogan. American singers Scott Weiland, Celia Cruz, Cher, Mark Bolan, Gerard Way, Elton John and many other artists also preferred their ostrich scarf. This accessory looks stylish today and gives its owner a special charm.