python

[pahy-thon, -thuh n]

noun

any of several Old World boa constrictors of the subfamily Pythoninae, often growing to a length of more than 20 feet (6 meters): the Indian python, Python molurus, is endangered.

Origin of python

1580–90; < New Latin; special use of Python¹

python

[pahy-thon, -thuh n]

noun

a spirit or demon.

a person who is possessed by a spirit and prophesies by its aid.

Origin of python

1595–1605; < Late Greek pȳ́thōn; relation to Python¹ unclear

Python

[pahy-thon, -thuh n]

noun Classical Mythology.

a large dragon who guarded the chasm at Delphi from which prophetic vapors emerged. He was finally killed by Apollo, who established his oracle on the site.

Origin of Python

1390–1400; Middle English, from Latin Pȳthōn, from Greek Pȳ́thōn

Python

[pahy-thon]

Digital Technology, Trademark.

an open-source, high-level programming language known for its readability and support for multiple programming styles, and, due to its many libraries, a large range of applications.

Origin of Python

coined in 1989 by Python's creator Guido van Rossum after the comedy troupe Monty Python

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for python

Contemporary Examples of python

The press release had stated that the show would feature “classic Python material with modern topical twists.”
Monty Python—Not Dead Yet
Tom Sykes
November 21, 2013
As Not the Nine o'Clock News, a spiritual successor to Python, once put it: “These men died for us – frequently.”
Why You're Wrong About Monty Python
Tom Doran
March 15, 2013
During one of his infamous animal interactions, Johnny Carson got up close and very personal with a Burmese python.
Johnny Carson’s Greatest Moments From Carnac to a Python Grapple
Brittany Jones-Cooper
May 7, 2012
The president is at the end of this pig in the python of the cohorts, while I am at the front.
Obama's Head-in-the Sand Budget
John Batchelor
February 15, 2011
My reverie is quickly interrupted: As I stuff the python into the bag, it spews out a variety of secretions.
How to Catch a Giant Python
Catharine Skipp
February 28, 2010

Historical Examples of python

The boar, watching its fate, squealed, and the python advanced.
The Adventures of Piang the Moro Jungle Boy
Florence Partello Stuart
After a meal of that kind, a python is unable to move for several days.
Children of Borneo
Edwin Herbert Gomes
There are many varieties of snakes, varying in size from the python downwards.
Children of Borneo
Edwin Herbert Gomes
Mowgli turned and saw the great Python's head swaying a foot above his own.
The Jungle Book
Rudyard Kipling
The Python dropped his head lightly for a minute on Mowgli's shoulder.
The Jungle Book
Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for python

python

noun

any large nonvenomous snake of the family Pythonidae of Africa, S Asia, and Australia, such as Python reticulatus (reticulated python). They can reach a length of more than 20 feet and kill their prey by constriction

Derived Formspythonic (paɪˈθɒnɪk), adjective

Word Origin for python

C16: New Latin, after Python

Python

noun

Greek myth a dragon, killed by Apollo at Delphi

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for python

1580s, fabled serpent, slain by Apollo near Delphi, from Latin Python, from Greek Python "serpent slain by Apollo," probably related to Pytho, the old name of Delphi, perhaps itself related to pythein "to rot," or from PIE *dhubh-(o)n-, from *dheub- "hollow, deep, bottom, depths," and used in reference to the monsters who inhabit them. Zoological application to large non-venomous snakes of the tropics is from 1836, originally in French.