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| ker·nel [ kúrn'l ] (plural ker·nels) |
noun |
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| Definition: |
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1. edible core: the edible content of a nut or fruit stone
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2. cereal grain: the grain of a cereal that contains a seed and husk
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3. central part: the central or most important part of something
 a kernel of self-belief that never wavered
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4. physics atom stripped of its electrons: a positively charged atomic nucleus that has lost its valence electrons
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5. comput key portion of operating system: the core of a computer's operating system that resides in the memory and performs essential functions such as controlling memory and files and allocating system resources
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| [ Old English cyrnel "little seed" <corn1] |
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