Python Meaning
/ˈpaɪθən/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAny of the family Pythonidae of nonvenomous constrictor snakes.
nameThe earth-dragon of Delphi, represented as a serpent, killed by Apollo.
Sentence Examples
Do you have python snakes?
GCC is a compiler while Python is an interpreter.
Tom kept a pet python in his apartment.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The snake charmer carefully handled a large ____ around his neck with ease.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ is a large non-venomous snake that kills its prey by constriction rather than venom.
Word Origin & History
From Ancient Greek Πύθων (Púthōn), from Πῡθώ (Pūthṓ), the early name of Delphi, from πύθω (púthō, “to rot, to decay”). The programming language is named after Monty Python.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Here Apollo killed a serpent called the Python, and established a great prophetic shrine. Sometimes it is said that the Titaness Themis had the shrine before him, and this, as well as the killing of the Python, suggests that Apollo took over a place already of religious significance, associated with chthonic (i.e., earth) powers."
— 1995, Gordon MacDonald Kirkwood, A Short Guide to Classical Mythology, page 11:
"It would seem, therefore, that what we have on the Phasian phiale is the Python coiled round the omphalos.[…]Paintings on Greek pottery and coins have preserved many an example of gods seated on an omphalos, including those of Apollo, Nike, Asclepius and others.⁴¹³ Python on the omphalos must have carried some symbolic meaning."
— 2000, Otar Lordkipanidze, Phasis: The River and City in Colchis, page 70:
"Python, says Bailey, is derived from Putho to putrify, and the serpent Python being slain by Apollo, is thus interpreted: by Python is understood the ruin of the waters; Apollo slew this serpent with his arrows; that is, the beams of the sun dispersed the noxious vapours, which destroyed man like a devouring serpent."
— 2005, M. A. Dwight, Taylor Lewis, Grecian and Roman Mythology, page 183:
"Its cast included eventual co-Goodie Tim Brooke-Taylor and embryo Pythons Graham Chapman and John Cleese."
— 1983, Bill Oddie, Gone Birding, London: Methuen, page 67:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The snake charmer carefully handled a large ____ around his neck with ease.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ is a large non-venomous snake that kills its prey by constriction rather than venom.