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

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

Ancestry of “kernel”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishkernelA seed, grain or stone of a fruit, corn, or nut;...
2Old Englishcyrnela kernel; a hard concretion in the flesh, an...
3Proto-West Germanic*kurnilkernel of a nut

Words derived from “kernel”

Every word from Proto-West Germanic *kurnil →Every word from Old English cyrnel →Every word from Middle English kernel →