The central or most important part of something; also the seed or pit of certain fruits, or the core of grain like corn.
From Old English 'cyrnel,' from 'corn' meaning grain. Related to Germanic words for grain seeds or cores.
The kernel of a corn cob isn't actually the seed you eat—popcorn kernels are whole seeds, but corn kernels on an ear are actually the offspring of two parent cells, making corn itself a hybrid fruit that doesn't exist in nature.
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