Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun kernel

3 senses of kernel

Sense 1
kernel, meat -- (the inner and usually edible part of a seed or grain or nut or fruit stone; "black walnut kernels are difficult to get out of the shell")
       => plant part, plant structure -- (any part of a plant or fungus)

Sense 2
kernel -- (a single whole grain of a cereal; "a kernel of corn")
       => grain, caryopsis -- (dry seed-like fruit produced by the cereal grasses: e.g. wheat, barley, Indian corn)

Sense 3
kernel, substance, core, center, centre, essence, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, marrow, meat, nub, pith, sum, nitty-gritty -- (the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience; "the gist of the prosecutor's argument"; "the heart and soul of the Republican Party"; "the nub of the story")
       => content, cognitive content, mental object -- (the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned)