kern

[ kurn ]

/ kɜrn /

Printing.

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verb (used with object)

to remove a portion of space between (adjacent letters) in preparation for printing.

to form or furnish with a kern, as a type or letter.

noun

a part of the face of a type projecting beyond the body or shank, as in certain italic letters.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of kern

First recorded in 1675–85; from French carne “corner of type, nib of a quill pen,” ultimately from Latin cardin- (stem of cardō ) “hinge”

Words nearby kern

Kermanshah, kermes, kermesite, kermis, Kermit, kern, kernel, kernel sentence, kernel smut, kerning, kernite

Other definitions for kern (2 of 7)

kern²

[ kurn ]

/ kɜrn /

noun Engineering.

the central area of any horizontal section of a wall, column, etc., within which the resultant forces of all compressive loads must pass if there is to be only compression at that point.

Origin of kern

From German Kern kernel; see kern⁴

Other definitions for kern (3 of 7)

kern³

or kerne

[ kurn ]

/ kɜrn /

noun Archaic.

a band of lightly armed foot soldiers of ancient Ireland.

(in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands) a soldier.

an Irish peasant, especially a crude or boorish one.

Origin of kern

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English kerne, kaerne, from Irish ceithern “band of foot soldiers”; see also cateran

Other definitions for kern (4 of 7)

kern⁴

[ kurn ]

/ kɜrn /

British Dialect

verb (used without object)

(of a tree or plant) to produce or form kernels, hard grain, or seed.

verb (used with object)

to cause to granulate, especially to granulate salt.

to cover with crystalline grains of salt; salt (meat).

noun

Obsolete. a kernel, as of a nut; a grain, as of sand or wheat.

Origin of kern

⁴

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English verb kirnen, kerne, keorne, kurne; akin to kirnelen “to develop or grow into seed”; see kernel

Other definitions for kern (5 of 7)

kern⁵

[ kurn ]

/ kɜrn /

verb (used with or without object), noun Scotland and North England.

churn.

Other definitions for kern (6 of 7)

kern⁶

[ kurn ]

/ kɜrn /

noun Scotland and North England.

kirn².

Other definitions for kern (7 of 7)

Kern

[ kurn ]

/ kɜrn /

noun

Jerome (David), 1885–1945, U.S. composer.

a river in E California, in the Sierra Nevada, flowing S and SW to San Joaquin Valley. 155 miles (249 km) long.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use kern in a sentence

In a lab environment where nematodes don’t need to compete for nutrients, Kern says last-ditch effort is less necessary.
These worms produce milk, but only when they kick the bucket|Elana Spivack|October 12, 2021|Popular-Science
Kern is interested in learning more about the pathways by which this milk production occurs.
These worms produce milk, but only when they kick the bucket|Elana Spivack|October 12, 2021|Popular-Science
Without that understanding, people who develop chronic issues after a breakthrough infection, like Zaleski and Kern, may be overlooked and left out of crucial efforts to develop treatments.
Can Breakthrough Infections Lead to Long COVID? For an Unlucky Few, Yes|Jamie Ducharme|September 30, 2021|Time
Among them, Sally Kern of Oklahoma occupies a special place.
10 GOP Rebranding Roadblocks|Ben Jacobs|January 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And working with people like Kern and Richardson…it was a matter of my liking their work, and their liking mine.
From Porn to the Multiplex|Glenn Kenny|May 14, 2009|DAILY BEAST
In 1879 an old man, Blasius Kern, was found one morning completely snowed over and with a serious wound in the head.
Criminal Psychology|Hans Gross
The kern or cateran of the Highlands was a light-armed infantryman, as opposed to the heavy-armed "gallowglass."
Lady of the Lake|Sir Walter Scott
Dr. Kern, in editing the Malberg glosses, points out that the gloss in Title xlii.
The English Village Community|Frederic Seebohm
We came north by way of Tejon pass and the Kern River, not far from quite a large lake, and reached the mines at last.
Death Valley in '49|William Lewis Manly
The new departure was made in 1883 by Caro and Kern, who patented a process for the synthesis of colouring-matters of this group.
Coal|Raphael Meldola

British Dictionary definitions for kern (1 of 4)

kern¹

kerne

/ (kɜːn) /

noun

the part of the character on a piece of printer's type that projects beyond the body

verb

(tr) to furnish (a typeface) with a kern

Word Origin for kern

C17: from French carne corner of type, projecting angle, ultimately from Latin cardō hinge

British Dictionary definitions for kern (2 of 4)

kern²

/ (kɜːn) /

noun

a lightly armed foot soldier in medieval Ireland or Scotland

a troop of such soldiers

archaic a loutish peasant

Word Origin for kern

C14: from Middle Irish cethern band of foot soldiers, from cath battle

British Dictionary definitions for kern (3 of 4)

kern³

/ (kɜːn) /

noun

engineering the central area of a wall, column, etc, through which all compressive forces pass

Word Origin for kern

from German Kern core, heart

British Dictionary definitions for kern (4 of 4)

Kern

/ (kɜːn) /

noun

Jerome (David). 1885–1945, US composer of musical comedies, esp Show Boat (1927)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012