Truncation is the act or process of shortening something by removing part of it. It can also refer to the state of being shortened. To truncate means to cut or shorten something, such as when comparing softwares. This can be done with an electric saw, a chainsaw, or even a karate kick famously used by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In poetry, truncation is the practice of omitting syllables at the beginning or end of a line. In mathematics, truncating is shortening a number by removing some of the digits after the decimal point. In scientific and medical contexts, truncation often involves cutting a part parallel to its base (or perpendicular to its side). In banking, it is used to refer to a simplified electronic check registration system in which the bank does not return canceled checks to customers. Truncation can also be used in other contexts. For example, you can truncate an essay by skipping a paragraph or two, or you can even truncate your vacation in Belize by going home early.
In computer science, truncation is the term for limiting the number of digits to the right of the decimal point, discarding the least significant ones. You can also truncate a tree trunk by cutting it down to the stump. Truncation may involve the removal of the beginning of something, its end, its top or other part. For example, Arnold Schwarzenegger took advantage of the truncated recall campaign period to court the state into electing him as its chief executive. You can also write a bunch of tweets and upload them in the special Twaitter file format and the service will schedule posts and truncate them as needed. Truncation is most often used to refer to the shortening of intangible things, such as a schedule or writing.
For example, if you are taking a good walk but suddenly it starts to rain and you have to run home, this is an example of a situation where rain forces you to shorten it and shortens your walk. Less commonly, truncate can be used as an adjective with the same meaning as shortened truncated, as if a part had been cut off. In summary, truncation is an act or process of shortening something by removing part of it. It can be used in many contexts such as mathematics, computer science, banking, poetry and more. It can involve cutting something parallel to its base (or perpendicular to its side), limiting digits after the decimal point or even omitting syllables at the beginning or end of a line.
