Munges

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To confuse or mutilate data or information; to change or corrupt something in a way that makes it unusable or unclear; to manipulate or transform data by combining or altering elements
2. Acting on data by mixing, altering, or corrupting it; damaging or spoiling information so it becomes distorted or meaningless; performing processing steps that change original content usually to make it problematic or confusing
3. The process of manipulating, corrupting, or garbling data or content; causing degradation, confusion, or loss of clarity in information; altering elements so that the original becomes distorted or no longer clear

Etymology: Many programmers believe "munge" is an acronym for "Mash Until No Good," but that is a folk etymology: the phrase was fitted to a word that already existed. The verb is more likely a variant of "mung," which sounds like and overlaps in sense with "mash," "mangle," and "smudge," all describing the crushing or messing up of something. Its exact origin is uncertain. In computing slang, to munge data means to alter or scramble it, often through a chain of processing steps, until it is distorted or unusable. The word has since spread into general speech, where it can describe any process that wrecks or confuses something.

Synonyms: mashes, pulses, crushes, smashes, squashes

Antonyms: builds, assembles, constructs, fixes, repairs