What is "maximal munch"

alt. A method of parse or lexing where the longest possible section of the input is matched on each iteration. n. A method of parse or lexing where the longest possible section of the input is matched on each iteration.

In computer programming and computer science, "maximal munch" or "longest match" is the principle that when creating some construct, as much of the available input as possible should be consumed.

The earliest known use of this term is by R.G.G. Cattell in his PhD thesis on automatic derivation of code generators for compilers.