Main Entry:

¹core

Pronunciation:

\ˈkȯr\

Function:

noun

Usage:

often attributive

Etymology:

Middle English

Date:

14th century

1: a central and often foundational part usu. distinct from the enveloping part by a difference in nature <the core of the city>: as a: the usually inedible central part of some fruits (as a pineapple) ; especially : the papery or leathery carpels composing the ripened ovary in a pome fruit (as an apple) b: the portion of a foundry mold that shapes the interior of a hollow casting c: a vertical space (as for elevator shafts, stairways, or plumbing apparatus) in a multistory building d (1): a mass of iron serving to concentrate and intensify the magnetic field resulting from a current in a surrounding coil (2): a tiny doughnut-shaped piece of magnetic material (as ferrite) used in computer memories (3): a computer memory consisting of an array of cores strung on fine wires ; broadly : the internal memory of a computer e: the central part of a celestial body (as the earth or sun) usually having different physical properties from the surrounding parts f: a nodule of stone (as flint or obsidian) from which flakes have been struck for making implements g: the conducting wire with its insulation in an electric cable h: an arrangement of a course of studies that combines under basic topics material from subjects conventionally separated and aims to provide a common background for all students <core curriculum> i: the place in a nuclear reactor where fission occurs 2 a: a basic, essential, or enduring part (as of an individual, a class, or an entity) <the staff had a core of experts> <the core of her beliefs> b: the essential meaning : gist <the core of the argument> c: the inmost or most intimate part <honest to the core>3: a part (as a thin cylinder of material) removed from the interior of a mass especially to determine composition