Associations to the word «Kerns»

Wiktionary

KERN, noun. (obsolete or dialect) A corn; grain; kernel.
KERN, noun. (obsolete or dialect) The last handful or sheaf reaped at the harvest.
KERN, noun. (obsolete or dialect) The harvest home.
KERN, noun. (hot metal printing) (typography) any part of a letter which extends into the space used by another letter.
KERN, verb. (typography) (chiefly proportional font printing) To adjust the horizontal space between selected pairs of letters (characters or glyphs); to perform such adjustments to a portion of text, according to preset rules.
KERN, noun. (archaic or historical) A light-armed foot soldier of the ancient militia of Ireland and Scotland; in archaic contexts often used as a term of contempt.
KERN, noun. (obsolete) A boor; a low person.
KERN, noun. (obsolete) (UK) (legal) An idler; a vagabond.
KERN, noun. Alternative form of quern
KERN, noun. A churn.

Dictionary definition

KERN, noun. United States composer of musical comedies (1885-1945).
KERN, noun. The part of a metal typeface that projects beyond its body.
KERN, verb. Furnish with a kern.
KERN, verb. Remove a portion of space between (adjacent letters).

Wise words

Words are always getting conventionalized to some secondary meaning. It is one of the works of poetry to take the truants in custody and bring them back to their right senses.
William Butler Yeats