Munged

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Altered or corrupted, especially data or information that has been transformed into an unusable or confusing state; processed or manipulated in a way that changes the original form
2. Modified or scrambled, typically referring to digital data or text that has been combined, edited, or distorted so it no longer retains its initial clarity; subjected to complex changes
3. Transformed or jumbled by combining, editing, or corrupting, usually concerning files or information that have undergone operations causing loss of original integrity or readability

Etymology: "Munged" is the past tense of "munge," a verb that emerged in computing circles in the 1960s. Its most likely source is "mangle," the older verb meaning to hack or mutilate something until it is ruined, with the mung element probably a blend or respelling of that sound. Early programmers at MIT's Tech Model Railroad Club and similar groups adopted it for the process of altering data or code so that it no longer works as intended, and it spread through hacker culture from there. The word later took on a more technical sense: to transform data from one format into another, as when a program "munges" text into a form another system can read. Its relative "MUNG," in the acronym "Mung Until No Good," is a backronym that appeared after the verb was already in use, so it cannot be the source.

Synonyms: corrupted, damaged, broken, spoiled

Antonyms: fixed, repaired, clean