KERNEL (kernelled, kernelling)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: kernelled    , kernelling   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does kernel mean? 

• KERNEL (noun)
  The noun KERNEL has 3 senses:

1. the inner and usually edible part of a seed or grain or nut or fruit stone

2. a single whole grain of a cereal

3. the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience

  Familiarity information: KERNEL used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• KERNEL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The inner and usually edible part of a seed or grain or nut or fruit stone

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Synonyms:

kernel; meat

Context example:

black walnut kernels are difficult to get out of the shell

Hypernyms ("kernel" is a kind of...):

plant part; plant structure (any part of a plant or fungus)

Holonyms ("kernel" is a part of...):

seed (a small hard fruit)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A single whole grain of a cereal

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Context example:

a kernel of corn

Hypernyms ("kernel" is a kind of...):

caryopsis; grain (dry seed-like fruit produced by the cereal grasses: e.g. wheat, barley, Indian corn)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "kernel"):

corn (the dried grains or kernels or corn used as animal feed or ground for meal)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

center; centre; core; essence; gist; heart; heart and soul; inwardness; kernel; marrow; meat; nitty-gritty; nub; pith; substance; sum

Context example:

the nub of the story

Hypernyms ("kernel" is a kind of...):

cognitive content; content; mental object (the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "kernel"):

bare bones ((plural) the most basic facts or elements)

hypostasis ((metaphysics) essential nature or underlying reality)

haecceity; quiddity (the essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other)

quintessence (the purest and most concentrated essence of something)

stuff (a critically important or characteristic component)

 Context examples 

The oil extracted from the seed kernels of Carapa guianensis.

(Carapa guianensis Seed Oil, NCI Thesaurus)

According to the study, methionine in the corn kernels then increases by about 57 percent.

(US Researchers Genetically Modify Corn to Boost Nutritional Value, VOA News)

A scalar argument to a kernel function that determines what range of the nearby data points will be heavily weighted in making an estimate.

(Kernel Bandwidth, NCI Thesaurus)

The oil extracted from the kernel of Mangifera indica.

(Mango Seed Oil, NCI Thesaurus)

Palm kernel oil is commonly used as a commercial cooking oil due to its stability at high temperatures.

(Palm Kernel Oil, NCI Thesaurus)

Palmitic acid is found naturally in palm oil and palm kernel oil, as well as in butter, cheese, milk and meat.

(Palmitic Acid, NCI Thesaurus)

And I will give the missionary my energies—it is all he wants—but not myself: that would be only adding the husk and shell to the kernel.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Octanoic acid is found naturally in the milk of various mammals and is a minor component of coconut oil and palm kernel oil.

(Octanoic Acid, NCI Thesaurus)

Convolution kernels can be used to filter images to smooth them and reduce noise or to enhance edges or other image features.

(Convolution Kernel, NCI Thesaurus)

Capric acid is found naturally in the coconut and palm kernel oils as well as the milk of various mammals.

(Capric Acid, NCI Thesaurus)