Python the Language Is Named After a Comedy Troupe
A python is a large constricting snake. The programming language was named after Monty Python, not the snake.
A python is a large non-venomous snake that kills by constriction. The programming language shares only the spelling: Guido van Rossum named it after Monty Python's Flying Circus, and its documentation has long used spam and eggs in examples for the same reason. The snake takes its name from a serpent killed by Apollo at Delphi.
- A constricting snake. *A reticulated python.*
- A programming language. *Written in Python.*
- Python — a serpent of Greek myth. *Apollo slew Python.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | python | A burmese python. |
| Plural | pythons | Two pythons. |
| Family | Pythonidae | The family Pythonidae. |
| Related | boa | A boa constrictor. |
| Related | constrictor | A constrictor snake. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The language is named after the comedy show.Not the snake.
- Constrictors stop blood flow, not breathing.Current understanding.
- Pythons lay eggs; boas bear live young.A key difference.
Python facts
- Constriction — kills by cutting off circulation rather than suffocating
- Egg laying — pythons lay eggs, unlike boas
- Heat pits — sense infrared to locate warm-blooded prey
- Reticulated python — among the longest snakes in the world
- Invasive — Burmese pythons have established in the Florida Everglades
From Greek *Python*, the serpent killed by Apollo at Delphi. The programming language was named in 1991 after Monty Python.
Do constrictors suffocate their prey?
Research suggests they primarily stop blood circulation, which causes unconsciousness far faster than suffocation would.
Python or boa?
Pythons lay eggs and are found mainly in the Old World. Boas bear live young and are mostly New World species.