Noun

Pronunciation
/ˈkəːnəl/ listen

Synonym
Null space

Meaning
A kernel is an inverse image of 0, solution of the system of linear equations Ax = 0, where A is a matrix. It is denoted by Ker(A).

Example
The kernel consisting of vectors (x, y, z) satisfies, for instance, this

.

The task is to solve

,

which can be computed by Gaussian elimination.

Etymology
Old English cyrnel, diminutive of corn seed, grain, corn n.1 < Old Germanic kurnilo-. Compare (without umlaut) Middle High German kornel a grain, Middle Dutch cornel coarse meal

Source
OED