An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Kern

by Friedrich Kluge

Kern, masculine, ‘kerne, stone (of fruit), pith,’ from the equivalent Middle High German kërn, kërne, masculine Old High German kërno, masculine; corresponding to Old Icelandic kjarne, masculine, ‘kernel.’ A corresponding Gothic *kaîrnó, masculine, is wanting (for which we have kaúrnô, neuter?). Anglo-Saxon cyrnel, and the equivalent English kernel are connected phonetically more nearly with Korn, since a derivative of Kern in English would have an initial ch. Old Teutonic kerna- and korna- are allied by gradation to each other just as Brett and Bord, Kerl and Karl.