Words / C1

KURNL/ˈkɜːnl/

A kernel is the most important inner part of an idea, or the edible centre of a nut: the kernel of truth, a corn kernel. Core and heart are everyday; essence is a cousin. Colonel is a lookalike in speech. Do not call a decorative preface the kernel.

Meaning

The most important part of an idea; also the edible centre of a nut or seed.

Examples

• “The kernel of the complaint was the missing night-shift cover.”
• “The kernel of the complaint was the missing night-shift cover, not the font.”
• “Core is everyday. A kernel of truth is the small true part in a mess. Colonel is the army rank (same sound for some speakers). A nutshell is the idiom for a summary.”

Good to know

The core of an idea (or a nut). Everyday: core / heart. Mix-up: colonel (rank). A preface is not automatically the kernel.

Near in meaning

core

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