kern

Meaning

Noun

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

Verb

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.

Synonyms

boor

corn

🌽

peasant

rustic

Translations

كيرن

kern

zusammenrücken

zusammenschieben

unterschneiden

διαγραμμάτωση

rapprocher

resserrer

crénage

créner

crenatura

impostare la crenatura

afspatiëren

Pronounced as (IPA)

/kɜːn/

Etymology

Cognate with Latin: cardinem

Inherited from Middle English: kerne

In summary

From French carne (“corner; projecting angle; quill of a pen”), from Latin cardinem (“hinge”) or from Etymology 1. The verb is a back-formation from kerned, which is from the noun. Doublet of cardo.