Mung (computer term)

In computer terminology, "mung" is a verb that broadly refers to any transformation or manipulation of data, often with the intention of changing its form or content for a specific purpose. The transformation can be simple or complex, and the term often implies a certain degree of ad-hoc or perhaps even inelegant modification. The precise nature of the munging operation is highly context-dependent, and the term doesn't inherently describe what kind of transformation is occurring, only that a transformation is occurring.

"Mung" is sometimes used pejoratively to suggest a messy or unprincipled transformation. In other instances, it is simply a neutral descriptor of a data manipulation process. The scope of "munging" can range from simple tasks like reformatting text or converting between data types, to more complex operations like cleaning and preprocessing data for analysis.

The noun form, "munging," refers to the process of performing these transformations. The person or program performing the transformation is sometimes referred to as a "munger." Because of its broad meaning, the term is frequently combined with other words to provide greater specificity, such as "data munging" or "address munging."