noun
core
kaw
noun
1
The central or most essential part of something.
"Honesty is at the core of a good relationship."
"The reactor's core generates the heat used to make electricity."
2
The hard central part of certain fruits, containing the seeds.
"She cut around the apple's core before slicing it."
adj
1
Forming the most important or fundamental part of something.
"Customer trust is a core value of the company."
verb
1
To remove the core from a piece of fruit.
"Core the apples before adding them to the pie filling."
How to Use Core
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe central, most important part of something, or the hard middle of a fruit.
Common pairings
core value
core curriculum
apple core
core issue
Word Forms
cored past tense, cores plural, cores plural, cores plural, cores plural, cores singular
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Etymology
From Middle English "core," meaning the pith or heart of a fruit, ultimately of uncertain origin — possibly related to Old French "cuer" ("heart"), from Latin "cor."