kernel

The core, center, or essence of an object or system.

Noun

  1. The core, center, or essence of an object or system.
    • the kernel of an argument

    Synonyms: crux gist bowels sum brass tacks core essence drift guts gravamen heart heart and soul heartstring heartstrings inwardness kernel marrow meat moral of the story nitty-gritty nub nuts and bolts pith punctum saliens

  2. The central (usually edible) part of a nut, especially once the hard shell has been removed.
  3. A single seed of grain, especially of corn or wheat.
  4. The stone of certain fruits, such as peaches or plums.
  5. A small mass around which other matter is concreted; a nucleus; a concretion or hard lump in the flesh.
  6. The central part of many computer operating systems which manages the system's resources and the communication between hardware and software components.
    • The Linux kernel is open-source.

    Antonyms: userland

  7. The core engine of any complex software system.
  8. The simplified input to an algorithm that has undergone kernelization.
  9. A function used to define an integral transform.
    • The Dirichlet kernel convolved with a function yields its Fourier series approximation.
  10. The set of pairs of elements in the domain of f which are mapped to the same value; the equivalence relation x≡y⟺f(x)=f(y).
    • If a function is continuous then its kernel is a closed set.
  11. The set of elements of the domain of f which are mapped to an identity element.

    Antonyms: support

    Meronyms: root zero

    1. (mathematics, group theory, of a group homomorphism f:G→H between groups) The set of elements of G which are mapped to the identity of H (usually written as 0 in an additive group and as 1 in a multiplicative group).

    2. (mathematics, ring theory, of a ring homomorphism f:R→S between rings) The set of elements of R which are mapped to the additive identity 0 of S.

      Antonyms: support

      Meronyms: root zero

    3. (mathematics, linear algebra, of a linear transformation f:M→N between modules or vector spaces) The set of elements of M which are mapped to the additive identity 0 of N.

      Antonyms: support

      Meronyms: root zero

  12. The equalizer of f and the zero morphism from X to Y, denoted operatorname kerf.

Origin

From Middle English kernel, kirnel, kürnel, from Old English cyrnel, from Proto-West Germanic *kurnil, diminutive of Proto-Germanic *kurną (“seed, grain, corn”), equivalent to corn + -le. Cognate with Yiddish קערנדל (kerndl), Middle Dutch kernel, cornel, Middle High German kornel. Related also to Old Norse kjarni (“kernel”).

Forms

kernels

Derived

cokernel enkernel exokernel grape kernel KERNAL kernelate kernel corn kernel cowry kernel cowrie kernel function kernel hacker kernelisation kernelization kernelize kernelless kernelly kernel of truth kernel pair kernel panic kernel sentence kernel space multikernel nanokernel palm kernel

Verb

  1. To enclose within a kernel
  2. To crenellate

Forms

kernels kerneling kernelling kerneled kernelled