Kernel
/ˈkɜːr.nəl/noun
The inner edible part of a seed, nut, or grain; also the core or central part of something.
Did you know?Kernel traces back to a Proto-Germanic word for a grain or seed, and its later use for a computer’s core is a modern revival of that ancient idea of an inner essence.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*kurną
“grain, seed, kernel”
Old English
OE
cyrnel
“a small grain or seed; the inner part of a nut”
Middle English
ME
kernel
“a grain, seed, or the edible core of a nut”
Modern English
English
kernel
“the inner part of a seed, nut, or grain; the core of something”
Modern Computing
English
kernel
“the core component of an operating system”