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.

1. churn.

kern

⁶

[ kurn ]

noun

, Scotland and North England.

1. kirn ².

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. 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

kern

²

/ kɜːn /

noun

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

Kern

³

/ kɜːn /

noun

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

kern

⁴

/ kɜːn /

noun

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of kern¹

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

Origin of kern²

from German Kern core, heart

Origin of kern³

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

Example Sentences

He put me to work setting type by hand, and taught me how to eyeball the space so the letters would barely kiss, creating the perfect kern.

From Salon

The finishing airbrushing of an illo, the final tweak or kerning of an art headline, was important to him.

From Seattle Times

Providence, he believes, gazes upon him when in a trunk of petrified oak he finds a rotting chained kern doll, used by farmers for good luck, marked with an impossible date: Feb. 31, 1845.

From Los Angeles Times

It highlights just how much thought goes into making sure the thickness, kerning, and size of a font is optimal for the environment where it’s viewed.

From The Verge

The type setting and irregular kerning in the names, the texture in the title, the studio photography in an exterior setting — it’s all off.

From Washington Post