Kernel vs. Colonel

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Grammarist

A kernel is the edible portion of a seed, nut or fruit that is inside a stone or shell. Kernel may also mean the essential part of something. Kernel comes from the Old English word cyrnel which means seed, pip.

A colonel is a high-ranking officer in an army or air force. A colonel ranks higher than a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general. Colonel comes into the English language in the sixteenth century from the Middle French coronel, influenced by the Italian word colonnella, meaning commander of a column of soldiers at the head of a regiment.

Examples

Fonterra in September launched a campaign to get farmers to pull back on using palm kernel because too much can alter the composition of milk. (The New Zealand Herald)

Inside a popcorn kernel’s outer hull lies the endosperm, which is made of soft starch and a bit of water. (The Duluth News Tribune)

That is the kernel of the matter—not dusting the paper containing the NDDC Act. (The Daily Sun)

The Linux Foundation is a non-profit association which sponsors those developing the Linux kernel, including Linus Torvalds, and runs various collaborative projects to set standards and support use of Linux. (The Register)

Colonel Eric Woodman, who has died aged 94, was awarded an MC in 1945 for a number of operational parachute drops into German occupied territory. (The Telegraph)

The police official said that the car belonged to Army doctor Colonel Shailender Singh. (The Asian Age)

Bhubaneswar: The economic offence wing (EOW) of Crime Branch on Friday arrested a retired army colonel on charges of cheating over 500 defence personnel of nearly Rs 30 crore with the false promise of giving them residential plots at Chandaka. (The Times of India)

Welch, 57 and a retired Air Force colonel, is the Paralympic program specialist for the VA. (The Washington Post)

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