What is metaprogramming in Python?

Metaprogramming is writing code that manipulates, generates, or analyzes other code. Python offers several tools for this: introspection (examining objects), metaclasses (customizing class creation), decorators (modifying functions/classes), eval/exec (executing code dynamically), and the ast module (manipulating syntax trees). It allows you to create elegant APIs, reduce repetitive code, and adapt the language to specific domains, although it can reduce readability if abused.