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kern

1

[ kurn ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to remove a portion of space between (adjacent letters) in preparation for printing.
  2. to form or furnish with a kern, as a type or letter.


noun

  1. a part of the face of a type projecting beyond the body or shank, as in certain italic letters.

kern

2

[ kurn ]

noun

, Engineering.
  1. the central area of any horizontal section of a wall, column, etc., within which the resultant forces of all compressive loads must pass if there is to be only compression at that point.

kern

3
or kerne

[ kurn ]

noun

, Archaic.
  1. a band of lightly armed foot soldiers of ancient Ireland.
  2. (in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands) a soldier.
  3. an Irish peasant, especially a crude or boorish one.

kern

4

[ kurn ]

verb (used without object)

  1. (of a tree or plant) to produce or form kernels, hard grain, or seed.

verb (used with object)

  1. to cause to granulate, especially to granulate salt.
  2. to cover with crystalline grains of salt; salt (meat).

noun

  1. Obsolete. a kernel, as of a nut; a grain, as of sand or wheat.

kern

5

[ kurn ]

verb (used with or without object)

, Scotland and North England.

kern

6

[ kurn ]

noun

, Scotland and North England.

Kern

7

[ kurn ]

noun

  1. Jerome (David), 1885–1945, U.S. composer.
  2. a river in E California, in the Sierra Nevada, flowing S and SW to San Joaquin Valley. 155 miles (249 km) long.

Kern

1

/ kɜːn /

noun

  1. KernJerome (David)18851945MUSMUSIC: composer Jerome ( David ). 1885–1945, US composer of musical comedies, esp Show Boat (1927)


kern

2

/ kɜːn /

noun

  1. a lightly armed foot soldier in medieval Ireland or Scotland
  2. a troop of such soldiers
  3. archaic.
    a loutish peasant

kern

3

/ kɜːn /

noun

  1. engineering the central area of a wall, column, etc, through which all compressive forces pass

kern

4

/ kɜːn /

noun

  1. the part of the character on a piece of printer's type that projects beyond the body

verb

  1. tr to furnish (a typeface) with a kern

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Word History and Origins

Origin of kern1

First recorded in 1675–85; from French carne “corner of type, nib of a quill pen,” ultimately from Latin cardin- (stem of cardō ) “hinge”

Origin of kern2

From German Kern kernel; kern 4

Origin of kern3

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English kerne, kaerne, from Irish ceithern “band of foot soldiers”; cateran

Origin of kern4

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English verb kirnen, kerne, keorne, kurne; akin to kirnelen “to develop or grow into seed”; kernel

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Word History and Origins

Origin of kern1

C14: from Middle Irish cethern band of foot soldiers, from cath battle

Origin of kern2

from German Kern core, heart

Origin of kern3

C17: from French carne corner of type, projecting angle, ultimately from Latin cardō hinge

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Example Sentences

In a lab environment where nematodes don’t need to compete for nutrients, Kern says last-ditch effort is less necessary.

Kern is interested in learning more about the pathways by which this milk production occurs.

Without that understanding, people who develop chronic issues after a breakthrough infection, like Zaleski and Kern, may be overlooked and left out of crucial efforts to develop treatments.

From Time

Among them, Sally Kern of Oklahoma occupies a special place.

And working with people like Kern and Richardson…it was a matter of my liking their work, and their liking mine.

In 1879 an old man, Blasius Kern, was found one morning completely snowed over and with a serious wound in the head.

The kern or cateran of the Highlands was a light-armed infantryman, as opposed to the heavy-armed "gallowglass."

Dr. Kern, in editing the Malberg glosses, points out that the gloss in Title xlii.

We came north by way of Tejon pass and the Kern River, not far from quite a large lake, and reached the mines at last.

The new departure was made in 1883 by Caro and Kern, who patented a process for the synthesis of colouring-matters of this group.

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