noun
kernel
KUR-nuhl
noun
1
The soft, edible part inside a nut or seed, once the hard shell or husk is removed.
"She cracked the walnut and ate the kernel inside."
"Each ear of corn holds hundreds of kernels."
2
The core or most essential part of an idea, argument, or system.
"There's a kernel of truth in what he said, even if the rest is exaggerated."
3
Computing: the central part of an operating system that controls hardware and manages how programs communicate with it.
"A kernel panic forced the server to reboot."
"Linux developers spend years refining the kernel's scheduler."
How to Use Kernel
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe core or seed-like center of something — literally a nut/seed, or figuratively an operating system's core, or the essential part of an idea.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "colonel" (a military rank) — they sound alike but are spelled and mean completely differently.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
kernel of truth
corn kernel
Linux kernel
kernel panic
Word Forms
kerneled past tense, kernelled past tense, kernels plural, kernels singular
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She cracked the walnut and ate the _____ inside.
Etymology
From Old English cyrnel, a diminutive of "corn" — so a kernel is literally a "little grain".