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keratose
keratosis
keratotomy
kerb
kerb crawling
kerb drill
kerb grind
kerb market
kerbside
kerbstone
Kerch
kerchief
kerf
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Kerguelen Islands
Kermadec Islands
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kernel

ker·nel [ kúrn'l ] (plural ker·nels)


noun 
Definition:
 
1. edible core: the edible content of a nut or fruit stone

2. cereal grain: the grain of a cereal that contains a seed and husk

3. central part: the central or most important part of something
a kernel of self-belief that never wavered

4. physics atom stripped of its electrons: a positively charged atomic nucleus that has lost its valence electrons

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

[ Old English cyrnel "little seed" <corn1]

Spelling Note

See colonel.

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