Appendix D — Glossary of Programming Jargon

“Jargon” means words which have a very specific meaning within a given discipline. All disciplines have their own jargon, sometimes called slang. These words can be repurposed real words like script or can be made up like truthiness.

A useful resource is available here. And an even broader list is given here.

The following table attempts to collect and explain the most common jargon used in Python and programming in general.

Table D.1: A list of jargon or slang words used in computer programming and what they mean

Word	Meaning
algorithm	A repeatable sequence of steps for solving a problem.
argument	A value supplied to a function when it is called, such as 3 in round(3.14).
assignment	Storing a value in a variable, usually with =, as in total = 0.
boolean	A value that is either True or False.
bug	An error or unintended behaviour in a program.
bytecode	A lower-level, platform-independent form of a program that Python creates before running it on the Python virtual machine.
code	Another word for a written program. The activity of programming is sometimes called coding.
code block	One or more statements grouped together; in Python, indentation defines most code blocks.
command prompt	A text-based interface where you type commands for the operating system to run.
comment	Text in source code written for people rather than the computer; Python comments begin with #.
compiler	A program that translates source code into another form, often machine code or bytecode, before the program runs.
console	A text area that displays program output and may accept commands or input.
debugging	Finding, understanding, and fixing bugs.
expression	Code that evaluates to a value, such as 2 + 3 or length > 10.
function	A named, reusable block of code that can accept inputs and may return an output.
IDE	An integrated development environment: an application, such as Spyder, that provides tools for writing and running code.
interpreter	A program that runs source code directly. Python is usually described as an interpreted language, although it first creates bytecode.
iteration	One pass through a loop, or the act of repeating a process.
library	A collection of reusable code made available for other programs to import and use, such as Python’s math library.
linter	A tool that checks code for likely errors and style problems, such as inconsistent indentation or unused variables.
loop	A code block that repeats, usually using for or while.
machine code	Instructions in binary form that a computer processor can execute directly.
module	A Python file containing code that can be imported. A library or package can contain many modules.
namespace	A collection of names and the objects they refer to, used to prevent names from conflicting.
object	In Python, any value with a type, data, and possible behaviours; numbers, strings, lists, and functions are all objects.
package	A way of organizing related Python modules into a larger importable collection. In everyday use, package and library are often used interchangeably.
parameter	A named input in a function definition, such as number in def square(number):.
parser	A program component that checks code against a language’s grammar and determines its structure.
performant	Informal jargon meaning that a program performs well, usually by running quickly and using an appropriate amount of memory or other resources.
runtime	The time when a program is executing, or the environment that supports its execution.
script	A file containing instructions that run in order, usually stored in a .py file. For example, F5 in Spyder runs the current script.
shell	A program that reads commands and asks the operating system to carry them out.
source code	Human-readable program text, such as the contents of a .py file.
statement	A complete instruction that performs an action, such as print("Hello") or total = 0.
syntax	The rules for arranging words and symbols into valid code.
terminal	An application that provides access to a shell and command prompt.
truthiness	The way a value is treated as True or False in a condition. For example, a non-empty string is truthy and an empty string is falsy.
type	The category of a value, such as int, float, str, or list, which determines what operations it supports.
variable	A name that refers to a value or object, such as temperature in temperature = 22.5.