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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

kernel.

The core, center, or essence of an object or system.

6 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈkɜː.nəl/UK/ˈkɝ.nəl/US
  1. The core, center, or essence of an object or system.

    the kernel of an argument
  2. The central (usually edible) part of a nut, especially once the hard shell has been removed.

  3. A single seed of grain, especially of corn or wheat.

  4. The stone of certain fruits, such as peaches or plums.

    US
  5. A small mass around which other matter is concreted; a nucleus; a concretion or hard lump in the flesh.

  6. The central part of many computer operating systems which manages the system's resources and the communication between hardware and software components.

    The Linux kernel is open-source.
  7. The core engine of any complex software system.

  8. The simplified input to an algorithm that has undergone kernelization.

  9. A function used to define an integral transform.

    The Dirichlet kernel convolved with a function yields its Fourier series approximation.
  10. The set of pairs of elements in the domain of f which are mapped to the same value; the equivalence relation x≡y⟺f(x)=f(y).

    If a function is continuous then its kernel is a closed set.
  11. The set of elements of the domain of f which are mapped to an identity element. The set of elements of G which are mapped to the identity of H (usually written as 0 in an additive group and as 1 in a multiplicative group).

    broadly
  12. The set of elements of the domain of f which are mapped to an identity element. The set of elements of R which are mapped to the additive identity 0 of S.

    broadly
  13. The set of elements of the domain of f which are mapped to an identity element. The set of elements of M which are mapped to the additive identity 0 of N.

    broadly
  14. The equalizer of f and the zero morphism from X to Y, denoted operatorname kerf.

  15. The equalizer of f and the zero morphism from X to Y, denoted operatorname kerf. The source of operatorname kerf, denoted operatorname Kerf.

  16. The set of members of a fuzzy set that are fully included (i.e., whose grade of membership is 1).

  17. The human clitoris.

    slang
  18. The nucleus and electrons of an atom excluding its valence electrons.

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵerh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-nóm Proto-Indo-European *ǵr̥h₂-nós Proto-Indo-European *ǵr̥h₂nóm Proto-Germanic *kurną Proto-West Germanic *korn Proto-Indo-European *-lósder. Proto-Germanic *-ilaz Proto-West Germanic *-il Proto-West Germanic *kurnil Old English cyrnel Middle English kirnel English kernel From Middle English kernel, kirnel, kürnel, from Old English cyrnel, from Proto-West Germanic *kurnil, diminutive of Proto-Germanic *kurną (“seed, grain, corn”), equivalent to corn + -le. Cognate with Yiddish קערנדל (kerndl), Middle Dutch kernel, cornel, Middle High German kornel. Related also to Old Norse kjarni (“kernel”).

verb/ˈkɜː.nəl/UK/ˈkɝ.nəl/US
  1. To enclose within a kernel

  2. To crenellate

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵerh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-nóm Proto-Indo-European *ǵr̥h₂-nós Proto-Indo-European *ǵr̥h₂nóm Proto-Germanic *kurną Proto-West Germanic *korn Proto-Indo-European *-lósder. Proto-Germanic *-ilaz Proto-West Germanic *-il Proto-West Germanic *kurnil Old English cyrnel Middle English kirnel English kernel From Middle English kernel, kirnel, kürnel, from Old English cyrnel, from Proto-West Germanic *kurnil, diminutive of Proto-Germanic *kurną (“seed, grain, corn”), equivalent to corn + -le. Cognate with Yiddish קערנדל (kerndl), Middle Dutch kernel, cornel, Middle High German kornel. Related also to Old Norse kjarni (“kernel”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.