Kernel

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)
• HYPHEN: ker=nel

CIDE DICTIONARY

Kernel, n. [OE. kernel, kirnel, curnel, AS. cyrnel, fr. corn grain. See Corn, and cf. Kern to harden.].

•  The essential part of a seed; all that is within the seed walls; the edible substance contained in the shell of a nut; hence, anything included in a shell, husk, or integument; as, the kernel of a nut. See Illust. of Endocarp.  [1913 Webster]

  "'A were as good crack a fusty nut with no kernel"  [1913 Webster]
•  A single seed or grain; as, a kernel of corn.  [1913 Webster]
•  A small mass around which other matter is concreted; a nucleus; a concretion or hard lump in the flesh.  [1913 Webster]
•  The central, substantial or essential part of anything; the gist; the core; as, the kernel of an argument.  [1913 Webster]

Kernel, v. i. 

 To harden or ripen into kernels; to produce kernels.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Kernel, n.
1 a central, softer, usu. edible part within a hard shell of a nut, fruit stone, seed, etc.
2 the whole seed of a cereal.
3 the nucleus or essential part of anything.

Etymology

OE cyrnel, dimin. of CORN(1)

THESAURUS

Kernel

Brazil nut, acorn, almond, almond paste, amande, amande douce, amandes mondees, axiom, axis, bench mark, berry, bird seed, bitter almond, blanched almonds, burnt almond, cardinal point, center, center of action, center of gravity, centroid, centrum, chief thing, climax, core, cornerstone, crisis, critical point, crux, dead center, diameter, diaphragm, distillate, distillation, elixir, epicenter, equator, essence, essential, essential matter, fabric, flaxseed, flower, focus, fruit, fundamental, gist, goober, goober pea, grain, gravamen, great point, ground-pea, groundnut, hayseed, heart, high point, hub, hypostasis, important thing, inner essence, interior, issue, keystone, landmark, linseed, main point, main thing, marrow, material, material point, matter, mean, meat, median, medium, medulla, metacenter, middle, midmost, midriff, midst, milestone, nave, navel, nigger toe, noisette, noix, nub, nubbin, nucleus, nut, nuts and bolts, omphalos, peanut, peanut butter, pip, pit, pith, pivot, postulate, principle, quid, quiddity, quintessence, real issue, salient point, salted peanuts, sap, seed, sine qua non, soul, spirit, stone, storm center, stuff, substance, substantive point, sum and substance, sweet almond, the bottom line, the nitty-gritty, the point, thick, thick of things, turning point, umbilicus, upshot, waist, waistline, zone

ROGET THESAURUS

Kernel

Importance

N importance, consequence, moment, prominence, consideration, mark, materialness, import, significance, concern, emphasis, interest, greatness, superiority, notability, weight, value, usefulness, gravity, seriousness, solemnity, no joke, no laughing matter, pressure, urgency, stress, matter of life and death, memorabilia, notabilia, great doings, red-letter day, great thing, great point, main chance, the be all and the end all, cardinal point, substance, gist, sum and substance, gravamen, head and front, important part, principal part, prominent part, essential part, half the battle, sine qua non, breath of one's nostrils, cream, salt, core, kernel, heart, nucleus, keynote, keystone, corner stone, trump card, salient points, top sawyer, first fiddle, prima donna, chief, triton among the minnows, 'it', important, of importance, momentous, material, to the point, not to be overlooked, not to be despised, not to be sneezed at, egregious, weighty, of note, notable, prominent, salient, signal, memorable, remarkable, unforgettable, worthy of remark, worthy of notice, never to be forgotten, stirring, eventful, grave, serious, earnest, noble, grand, solemn, impressive, commanding, imposing, urgent, pressing, critical, instant, paramount, essential, vital, all-absorbing, radical, cardinal, chief, main, prime, primary, principal, leading, capital, foremost, overruling, of vital importance in the front rank, first-rate, superior, considerable, marked, rare, significant, telling, trenchant, emphatic, pregnant, tanti, materially, in the main, above all, kat' exochin, par excellence, to crown all, to beat all, expende Hannibalem!.

Centrality

N centrality, centricalness, center, middle, focus, core, kernel, nucleus, nucleolus, heart, pole axis, bull's eye, nave, navel, umbilicus, backbone, marrow, pith, vertebra, vertebral column, hotbed, concentration, centralization, symmetry, center of gravity, center of pressure, center of percussion, center of oscillation, center of buoyancy, metacenter, central, centrical, middle, azygous, axial, focal, umbilical, concentric, middlemost, rachidian, spinal, vertebral, middle, midst, centrally.