core

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The central or most important part of something.

   The core of the problem is a lack of money.

2. 2
   noun

   The hard middle part of a fruit such as an apple, which holds the seeds.

   She threw the apple core into the bin.

3. 3
   adj

   Forming the most important or essential part of something.

   Reading and writing are core skills for every student.

4. 4
   verb

   To remove the central part from a fruit.

   Peel and core the apples before baking them.

Common collocations

• common core Adjective + noun

From Middle English core, kore, coor (“apple-core, pith”), of obscure and uncertain origin. Possibly of native English origin, from Old English *cor, related to Old English *coruc, *corc (diminutive) (> Middle English cork, crok (“core of an apple or other fruit, heart of an onion”)) and Old English corn (“seed", also "grain”); or alternatively perhaps from Old French cuer (“heart”), from Latin cor (“heart”); or from Old French cors (“body”), from Latin corpus (“body”). Compare also Middle English colk, coke, coll (“the heart or centre of an apple or onion, core”), Dutch kern (“core”), German…

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images