Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “kern” come from?

kern (Middle High German) comes from Old High German kerno, from Proto-Germanic kernô, from Proto-Indo-European ǵr̥h₂nóm, from Proto-Indo-European ǵr̥h₂nós, from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- — to grow old, to mature.

Ancestry of “kern”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germankernocore; pith
2Proto-Germanickernôkernel, core
3Proto-Indo-Europeanǵr̥h₂nómgrain
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵr̥h₂nósmatured, grown old
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵerh₂-to grow old, to mature

Words derived from “kern”

  • kernicterus
  • steinkern
  • nebenkern
  • kernicteric
  • керн
  • Bohrkern
  • kernlos
  • kerngesund
  • Kernkraft
  • Kernreaktorunfall
  • Kernreaktor
  • Kernphysik
  • Steinkern
  • Kernspinresonanz
  • Pinienkern
  • Betriebssystemkern
  • Zellkern
  • Kernmasse
  • Kernfamilie
  • Kerngehäuse
  • Eisbohrkern
  • Kerngebiet
  • Kernikterus
  • Sonnenblumenkern
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- →