Kernen

Kernen is the plural of kern in Dutch and is used in several contexts with the common sense of a center, core, or nucleus. The word can denote physical cores as well as abstract central parts in different fields.

In biology and medicine, kern commonly refers to a nucleus. The plural kernen appears when speaking of multiple nuclei, for example in discussions of cell nuclei or cellular structures. In everyday scientific writing, the full term celkern (cell nucleus) is often used, but kernen can appear in plural constructions.

In physics and chemistry, kernen denotes atomic nuclei—the dense centers of atoms composed of protons and neutrons. Phrases like de kernen van atomen are typical when describing nuclear structure or processes such as fission and fusion, where the behavior and properties of multiple nuclei are of interest.

In Dutch administrative geography, kern has a distinct sense as a settlement or population centre within a municipality. Here, kernen refers to the individual villages or towns that together form the municipality, for instance when describing its composition or planning across several kernen. This usage emphasizes the social and geographic cores rather than physical cores.

Other uses align with the broader meaning of core or essential part. In computing, the term kernel is often translated as kern, referring to the central component of an operating system; its plural kernen would be used only when noting multiple kernels in different systems or contexts.

See also: kern, celkern, nucleus.