Noun

1. A light-armed foot soldier of the ancient militia of Ireland and Scotland; often used as a term of contempt.

   Quotation

   • c.1599: "O, then belike she was old and gentle; and you rode like a kern of Ireland, your French hose off and in your strait strossers." — Henry V: Ac.3 Sc7, Wm. Shakespeare.

Etymology 2

Noun

1. any part of a letter which extends into the space used by another letter.

Verb

1. To adjust the horizontal space between selected pairs of letters (characters or glyphs), particularly in a proportional font (printing).
2. To perform a kerning adjustment.

Noun

1. nucleus, core
2. nucleus (of an atom)
3. core (of the Earth)