kernel — OAT · Shobdo

kernel

noun

1 the squirrel cracks the nut's shell and extracts the rich kernel:

seed, grain, heart, core, stone;

nut;

North American meat.

2 the foreword contained the kernel of the policy:

essence, core, heart, essential part, essentials, quintessence, fundamentals, basics, nub, gist, substance, burden, heart of the matter, marrow, meat, pith, crux;

informal nitty-gritty, nuts and bolts, brass tacks.

3 there may be a kernel of truth in what he says:

nucleus, center, germ, grain, nugget.