kernel
Americannoun
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the softer, usually edible part contained in the shell of a nut or the stone of a fruit.
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the body of a seed within its husk or integuments.
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a whole seed grain, as of wheat or corn.
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South Atlantic States. the pit or seed of a peach, cherry, plum, etc.
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the central or most important part of anything; essence; gist; core.
His leadership is the kernel of the organization.
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Mathematics. the set of elements that a given function from one set to a second set maps into the identity of the second set.
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Also called rumpf. Physical Chemistry. the remainder of an atom after the valence electrons have been removed.
verb (used with object)
noun
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the edible central part of a seed, nut, or fruit within the shell or stone
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the grain of a cereal, esp wheat, consisting of the seed in a hard husk
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the central or essential part of something
verb
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A grain or seed, as of a cereal grass, enclosed in a husk.
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The inner, usually edible seed of a nut or fruit stone.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of kernel
before 1000; Middle English kirnel, Old English cyrnel, diminutive of corn seed, corn 1
Explanation
Whether it’s the kernel of a pistachio nut or the kernel of wisdom in a story, kernel can refer to the center or essential part of something. The word kernel traces back to the Old English word cyrnel, which is related to corn. If you have ever eaten corn on the cob, you ate the kernels. Popcorn is made by heating corn kernels until they explode, or "pop." Like these examples, sometimes kernel means "a small bit" or "single piece," as in a story someone tells you that couldn't possibly have happened as described, but still has a kernel of truth about human nature.
Vocabulary lists containing kernel
Words from Shakespearean Insults
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Drama
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"When Cultures Meet"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“There’s always kind of a kernel of truth in what he says, but he goes way beyond it and has all these outlandish claims.”
From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026
So both of them have a kernel of truth, but none of it is the full truth.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
When she came to “Rooster,” she said, Cristle was a conceptual kernel she teased into a labyrinth.
From Salon ● May 11, 2026
Malhees said in his post that the restriction “hurts” but offered his followers and supporters a kernel of truth: “You can block a passport. You cannot block a voice.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
The kernel, Rutherford concluded, was the atomic nucleus.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Some chains are testing organic kernels, lower-salt offerings and alternative cooking oils.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
These include the Green, Neumann, and Schwarz kernels, which are important tools for solving boundary value problems in physics and engineering.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 7, 2026
“I want the theatre to be an anchor,” Brekke tells me as she pours kernels and oil into the popcorn machine that’s been here since the Mayer first opened in 1949.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
On her website, she sells apricot kernels for their "potential health benefits" along with nutritional supplements, and offers information and advice.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2025
Because maize kernels are wrapped inside a tough husk, human beings must sow the species—it essentially cannot reproduce on its own.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Time was the great millstone, which ground us to dust like kerneled wheat.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
The sun was just setting when the captain and Chris reappeared bearing gourds full of smoking fish, and sweet sugary yams, and ears of curious small kernelled Indian corn.
From The Boy Chums in the Forest or Hunting for Plume Birds in the Florida Everglades by Davis, J. Watson
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.
