kernelnoun [ C ]
uk/ˈkɜː.nəl/us/ˈkɝː.nəl/kernel noun [ C ] (PLANT PART)
the part of a nut that is inside the shell and can be eaten
the whole seed of the maize plant
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Fruits & seeds & their parts
- acorn
- berry
- chaff
- coffee bean
- endosperm
- fruiterer
- grain
- mielie
- nut
- pine cone
- pine nut
- pit
- pith
- seeded
- seeded
- sesame seed
- stalk
- thistledown
- windfall
- zest
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kernel noun [ C ] (IMPORTANT PART)
the most important part of something, although it might not always be easy to find:
There is often a kernel of truth in what they say.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Important and essential things
- -based
- amenity
- be-all
- big league
- biggie
- building block
- flagship
- grandaddy
- heavyweight
- hot button
- imperative
- keynote
- keystone
- nucleus
- pivot
- precondition
- prerequisite
- priority
- requisite
- sine qua non
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