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.
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.
to cause to granulate, especially to granulate salt.
to cover with crystalline grains of salt; salt (meat).
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.
a lightly armed foot soldier in medieval Ireland or Scotland
a troop of such soldiers
archaic a loutish peasant
First recorded in 1675–85; from French carne “corner of type, nib of a quill pen,” ultimately from Latin cardin- (stem of cardō ) “hinge”
From German Kern kernel; see kern 4
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English kerne, kaerne, from Irish ceithern “band of foot soldiers”; see also cateran
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English verb kirnen, kerne, keorne, kurne; akin to kirnelen “to develop or grow into seed”; see kernel
In old-fashioned printing, a kern is the part of metal type that extends beyond the letter's block of type, like the tail of an f or a j. The verb kern comes from the noun. When you move a metal piece of type closer to or farther from its neighbor, you kern. This aesthetic adjustment between the printed letters of a word is very important to designers and typographers, and it's known as kerning. Kern comes from the French carne, "projecting angle," from the Latin root cardinem, or "hinge."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He put me to work setting type by hand, and taught me how to eyeball the space so the letters would barely kiss, creating the perfect kern.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2022
Ronald kern, Marlborough Connecticut, usa Loss of habitat and biodiversity is probably going to be the end of the world.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2010
These are not illuminating; but "obsolete variant of kern" leads directly to "corn," and to "kernel," of which "cornel" is a disused form.
From Time Magazine Archive
I know not if it be worth observing that this passage is taken almost literally from the mouth of an old Highland kern, or Ketteran, as they were called.
From The Lady of the Lake by Scott, Walter, Sir
Is not this the often unrecognized kern of our eagerness for some mark or stamp that shall prove to all that we are no apes, but men?
From The Whence and the Whither of Man A Brief History of His Origin and Development through Conformity to Environment; Being the Morse Lectures of 1895 by Tyler, John Mason
Areas of San Bernardino, Kern, Inyo and Tulare counties are under a red flag warning until 11 p.m.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Hammerstein, the musical’s lyricist, conceived the song with the great black baritone Paul Robeson in mind, and constructed it himself using music that Kern had already composed for the production.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Edwards Air Force Base is located primarily in rural southeast Kern County, but part of the base stretches into east San Bernardino County and north L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
Calvin Kern, 23, has been saving in the Lifetime ISA for two years and hopes to buy a two-bedroom property with his girlfriend before he turns 30.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Pattie had been given a telephone number for the Kern County Department of Children's Services.
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
