cut

To remove an object from a document and place it in a buffer. In word processing, for example, cut means to move a section of text from a document to a temporary buffer. This is one way to delete text. However, because the text is transferred to a buffer, it is not lost forever. You can copy the buffer somewhere else in the document or in another document, which is called pasting. To move a section of text from one place to another, therefore, you need to first cut it and then paste it. This is often called cut-and- paste.

Most applications have only one buffer, sometimes called a clipboard. If you make two cuts in succession, the text from the original cut will be replaced by the text from the second cut.

Graphical user interfaces, such as MS-Windows and the Macintosh interface, allow you to cut and paste graphics as well as text.

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