The word "spam" has two different meanings, one referring to a type of unsolicited commercial email, and the other to a canned meat product. The origin of the word "spam" in reference to the canned meat product is a contraction of "spiced ham"). During World War II, the meat became known in the UK as an acronym that stood for "Special Processed American Meat". The name "spam" was also used in a famous sketch by the British comedy group Monty Python, in which the word "spam" is repeated over and over again, and this is how the term came to be associated with unsolicited email. The computer geeks on a conference system, who were fans of Monty Python, identified mass mailing as spam, and the name caught on.