Where does “kernel” come from?
Kernel derives from Middle English kernel, from Old English cyrnel, from Proto-Germanic kurnilaz, built with the diminutive suffix Proto-Germanic -ilaz added to a root from Proto-Indo-European ǵr̥h₂nóm, related to the Proto-Indo-European root ǵerh₂- meaning to grow or mature.
kernel (English): The core, center, or essence of an object or...
Definitions
- The core, center, or essence of an object or...
Ancestry of “kernel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | kernel | A seed, grain or stone of a fruit, corn, or nut;... |
| 2 | Old English | cyrnel | a kernel; a hard concretion in the flesh, an... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *kurnil | — |
Words derived from “kernel”