Python

python
    n 1: large Old World boas
    2: a soothsaying spirit or a person who is possessed by such a
       spirit
    3: (Greek mythology) dragon killed by Apollo at Delphi
    

Python \Py"thon\, n. [NL., fr. L. Python the serpent slain near
   Delphi by Apollo, Gr. ?.]
   1. (Zool.) Any species of very large snakes of the genus
      {Python}, and allied genera, of the family {Pythonid[ae]}.
      They are nearly allied to the boas. Called also {rock
      snake}.
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: The pythons have small pelvic bones, or anal spurs, two
         rows of subcaudal scales, and pitted labials. They are
         found in Africa, Asia, and the East Indies.
         [1913 Webster]

   2. A diviner by spirits. "[Manasses] observed omens, and
      appointed pythons." --4 Kings xxi. 6 (Douay version).
      [1913 Webster]
    

Python
 /pi:'thon/

   In the words of its author, "the other scripting language" (other than
   {Perl}, that is). Python's design is notably clean, elegant, and well
   thought through; it tends to attract the sort of programmers who find
   Perl grubby and exiguous. Some people revolt at its use of whitespace
   to define logical structure by indentation, objecting that this harks
   back to the horrible old fixed-field languages of the 1960s. Python's
   relationship with Perl is rather like the {BSD} community's
   relationship to {Linux} -- it's the smaller party in a (usually
   friendly) rivalry, but the average quality of its developers is
   generally conceded to be rather higher than in the larger community it
   competes with. There's a Python resource page at
   http://www.python.org. See also Guido, BDFL.
    

Python

   1. <language> A simple, high-level interpreted language
   invented by Guido van Rossum <[email protected]> in 1991.  Python
   combines ideas from {ABC}, {C}, {Modula-3} and {Icon}.  It
   bridges the gap between {C} and {shell} programming, making it
   suitable for {rapid prototyping} or as an extension language
   for C applications.  It is {object-oriented} and supports
   packages, {modules}, {classes}, user-defined exceptions, a
   good C interface, dynamic loading of C modules and has no
   arbitrary restrictions.

   Python is available for many {platforms}, including {Unix},
   {Windows}, {DOS}, {OS/2}, {Macintosh} and {Amoeba}.

   Latest version: 2.5, as of 2007-02-21.

   (http://python.org/).

   Usenet newsgroup: news:comp.lang.python.

   (2007-02-21)

   2. <compiler> A {compiler} for {CMU Common LISP}.  Python is
   more sophisticated than other {Common Lisp} compilers.  It
   produces better code and is easier to use.  The programming
   environment based on the {Hemlock} editor is better integrated
   than {GNU} {Emacs} based environments.

   (1997-02-27)