n.
Pronunciation: ' k ə r-n ə l
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English cyrnel, diminutive of corn
Date: before 12th century
1 chiefly dialect : a fruit seed
2 : the inner softer part of a seed, fruit stone, or nut
3 : a whole seed of a cereal <a kernel of corn>
4 : a central or essential part : GERM <like many stereotypes ⋯ this one too contains some kernel s of truth ― S. M. Lyman>
5 : a subset of the elements of one set (as a group) that a function (as a homomorphism) maps onto an identity element of another set