Dictionaries › English

kernel

Pronunciation: /ˈkɜː.nəl/

The English word “kernel” has 20 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. The core, center, or essence of an object or system.
  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.
  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.
  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.
  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).
  11. 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).
  12. The set of elements of R which are mapped to the additive identity 0 of S.
  13. The set of elements of M which are mapped to the additive identity 0 of N.
  14. The equalizer of f and the zero morphism from X to Y, denoted operatorname kerf.
  15. 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.
  18. The nucleus and electrons of an atom excluding its valence electrons.

verb

  1. To enclose within a kernel
  2. To crenellate

Etymology

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”).

Keep exploring: in the interactive dictionary every word of a definition is a link. Open “kernel” there

More English words

About this dictionary

The English dictionary on Glottosphere has 650,529 entries with a page. Browse the English dictionary.

Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.