In programming, what does "concatenation" mean?

Concatenation in programming refers to the process of joining two or more strings together to form a single string. This is a fundamental operation in many programming languages, where you can combine text values, such as combining a first name and a last name to create a full name. For example, if you have the strings "Hello" and "World," concatenating them would give you "HelloWorld" or "Hello World," depending on whether you include a space between the two strings.

This concept is critical for various text manipulation tasks, as it enables programmers to create dynamic strings and build complete messages from smaller text segments. Understanding how to concatenate strings is essential for effective programming, particularly in applications that involve user input or formatting output.