*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of kern

From Middle English curn, cooren, variant forms of Middle English corn, see English corn and also Dutch kern, Old High German kerno, cherno, Middle High German kerne, kern, German Kern (“core, kernel”), Old Norse kjarni,

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A corn; grain; kernel. · The last handful or sheaf reaped at the harvest. · The harvest home. · A doll or figurine raised in celebration of a successful harvest; kern-baby.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English curn, cooren, variant forms of Middle English corn, see English corn and also Dutch kern, Old High German kerno, cherno, Middle High German kerne, kern, German Kern (“core, kernel”), Old Norse kjarni, Icelandic kjarni, Danish kjerne, Swedish kärna (“core, kernel”); see also kernel.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "curn"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English curn"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "corn"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English corn"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "corn"
      },
      "expansion": "English corn"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "kern"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch kern"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "goh",
        "2": "kerno"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German kerno"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gmh",
        "2": "kerne"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle High German kerne"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Kern",
        "3": "",
        "4": "core, kernel"
      },
      "expansion": "German Kern (“core, kernel”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "non",
        "2": "kjarni"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse kjarni"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "kjarni"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic kjarni"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "kjerne"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish kjerne"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "kärna",
        "3": "",
        "4": "core, kernel"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish kärna (“core, kernel”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "curn",
      "curn#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "cooren",
      "cooren#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "corn",
      "corn#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "corn",
      "corn#English"
    ],
    [
      "kern",
      "kern#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "kerno",
      "kerno#Old_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "cherno",
      "cherno#Old_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "kerne",
      "kerne#Middle_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "kern",
      "kern#Middle_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "Kern",
      "Kern#German"
    ],
    [
      "kjarni",
      "kjarni#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "kjarni",
      "kjarni#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "kjerne",
      "kjerne#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "kärna",
      "kärna#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "kernel",
      "kernel#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
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    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A corn; grain; kernel.",
        "The last handful or sheaf reaped at the harvest.",
        "The harvest home.",
        "A doll or figurine raised in celebration of a successful harvest; kern-baby."
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To adjust the horizontal space between selected pairs of letters (characters or glyphs); to perform such adjustments to a portion of text, according to preset rules.

noun

Any part of a letter which extends into the space used by another letter.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French carne (“corner; projecting angle; quill of a pen”), from Latin cardinem (“hinge”) or from Etymology 1. The verb is a back-formation from kerned, which is from the noun. Doublet of cardo.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+ing"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "carne",
        "4": "",
        "5": "corner; projecting angle; quill of a pen"
      },
      "expansion": "French carne (“corner; projecting angle; quill of a pen”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "cardinem",
        "3": "",
        "4": "hinge"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin cardinem (“hinge”)"
    },
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "cardo"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of cardo"
    }
  ],
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    ],
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      "cardinem",
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    ],
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      "kerned#English"
    ],
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      "cardo",
      "cardo#English"
    ]
  ],
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      "glosses": [
        "To adjust the horizontal space between selected pairs of letters (characters or glyphs); to perform such adjustments to a portion of text, according to preset rules."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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        "Any part of a letter which extends into the space used by another letter."
      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A light-armed foot soldier of the ancient militia of Ireland and Scotland; in archaic contexts often used as a term of contempt. · A boor; a low person. · An idler; a vagabond.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English kerne, from Middle Irish ceithern. Doublet of quaternion.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "soldier"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
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      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+ (soldier)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "kerne"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English kerne"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mga",
        "3": "ceithern"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Irish ceithern"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "quaternion"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of quaternion"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "kerne",
      "kerne#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ceithern",
      "ceithern#Middle_Irish"
    ],
    [
      "quaternion",
      "quaternion#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
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        "An idler; a vagabond."
      ],
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        "obsolete",
        "UK"
      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for kern →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-a2Vybg