What does truncate mean?
Truncate means to shorten something by cutting off or removing part of it. The word is especially common for reducing the length of a text, speech, article, or filename, and it can imply that the result is deliberately incomplete or ends more abruptly than intended. In computing, truncating a file or record means limiting it to a specified size or position, often discarding data beyond that point. The verb is also used in more specialized physical and biological contexts, such as describing a damaged or amputated object or body part. Truncate is generally formal and technical in tone but is fully standard in everyday editorial and academic language. It is useful because it conveys not merely shortening, but shortening through removal: a truncated document has lost a portion, while a rewritten document may simply be briefer. The related noun truncation describes the act of truncating or a state in which something has been cut short.
verbTo shorten something by cutting off or removing part of it, especially a text, speech, file, or other body of information. In technical contexts, it can mean to reduce data to a specified length or limit, often with the implication that the remaining data is incomplete.
- To shorten a text, speech, or other work by cutting off part of it.
- To reduce the size or scope of something, especially a file or digital record, by cutting off data beyond a specified point.
- To cut off or remove a part of a physical object or body, especially a limb.
"The editor decided to truncate the article so that it would fit within the allotted time."
"The database operation truncates the file when it reaches the configured size limit."
"The museum's guide warns that the damaged sculpture appears to have been truncated at the shoulders."
Truncate comes from the same Latin root as trunk: both point to something cut off or left incomplete.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does truncate come from?
Truncate comes from Latin truncare, meaning “to cut off,” which was related to truncus, meaning “mutilated” or “cut off.” The English word entered use in the early modern period and was later joined by related forms such as truncation. The same Latin root also underlies cognates such as French tronquer and Spanish truncar, and it is related to English trunk.
Related word forms
How truncate is actually used
The word is formal and neutral in general use, but it is especially common in computing, publishing, and academic contexts. It often suggests an abrupt or incomplete reduction rather than a careful, proportionate shortening. British and American usage are broadly similar.