Knuth-Morris-Pratt algorithm

Meaning

Proper Noun

• A linear-time algorithm that searches for occurrences of one text string within another, employing the observation that when a mismatch occurs, the search string itself embodies sufficient information to determine where the next match could begin, thus reducing the number of possible match locations that must be checked.

Origin

• The algorithm was conceived in 1970 by Donald Knuth and Vaughan Pratt, and independently by James H. Morris.