why is a kernel called a kernel?

Question

So the title of this question pretty much sums up my question. To be clear, I understand what a kernel is and why we make them. I would like to know the origin of it's name. So far All my goggling and Wikipediaing have only turned up what a kernel is and it's various forms.

Answer 1

Etymologically speaking, it's my understanding that kernel is a modernization of cyrnel (Old English, meaning seed; it's also the word that corn "stems" from, if you'll forgive the pun).

A kernel in that context is something from which the rest grows. You could also call a kernel a "core", but botanically-speaking a "core" contains seeds (or "kernels").

As the rest of the operating systems grows from the kernel, the term makes sense to me.

Answer 2

In German, there is the term "der Kern" which I would translate to "the core". So that seems to be similar to "kernel". Kern is sometimes used to describe single seeds of plants and often for basic / central / fundamental parts of a system where other things are based on it, e.g. the core of the earth. I don't know where the ending "EL" in "kernEL" comes from.

Answer 3

According to the OED the modern English English usage of the word kernel in every day speech is the edible part of a nut. It was first used in the 16th century to mean nucleus, core so it's application to Linux would seem to be a good description of that part of the system. I wonder who first used it in this context? Colonel was originally derived from the Italian word for a column (colonella) i.e. he's the guy who leads the column - it's pronunciation in both American and English English (and other Englishes too for that matter) is what Walker called "...among those gross irregularities which must be given up as incorrigible"

Answer 4

I'm not sure what are you asking but for me the reason is obvious. The kernel is the main component of an operating system. One of kernel definitions is "the central or most important part of anything".