Munging

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. Transforming or manipulating data through a series of operations to achieve a desired format or outcome; altering, combining, or cleaning information often for analysis or processing; modifying raw input into a structured or usable form
2. Processing data by restructuring, cleaning, or changing its format; operations that modify or combine information to prepare it for further use; converting raw data into a more organized or standardized state
3. Changing data by applying various procedures to refine or repurpose it; actions taken to alter, blend, or sanitize information typically for easier handling; adapting raw input into a neat, structured, or more accessible format

Etymology: "Munging" is a computing term, and its origin is more recent than most words in this guide. It is a blend of "mash" and "munch", and the sense is the one a programmer would guess: to mangle or transform data into another form. The Jargon File, a glossary of hacker slang, records it as a term used in the programming community, and it was later spread by the Perl community's habit of describing the scripting work of processing text this way. The word is an informal coinage rather than a term with a long pedigree. Its earliest attested use in print is not something this account can date precisely, so no century is given here. The verb and the noun ("a munge", meaning a transformation step) share the same root, and the meaning has stayed close to its original sense: taking raw input and reshaping it.

Synonyms: processing, transforming, manipulating, modifying, altering

Antonyms: preserving, keeping, retaining, saving, maintaining