core Audio pronunciation of "core" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (kôr, kr)
n.
1. The hard or fibrous central part of certain fruits, such as the apple or pear, containing the seeds.
2. The central or innermost part: the hard elastic core of a baseball; a rod with a hollow core.
3. The basic or most important part; the essence: a small core of dedicated supporters; the core of the problem. See Synonyms at substance.
4. A set of subjects or courses that make up a required portion of a curriculum.
5. Electricity. A soft iron rod in a coil or transformer that provides a path for and intensifies the magnetic field produced by the windings.
6.
1. Computer Science. A memory, especially one consisting of a series of tiny doughnut-shaped masses of magnetic material. Also called core memory.
2. One of the magnetic doughnut-shaped masses that make up such a memory. Also called magnetic core.
7. The central portion of the earth below the mantle, beginning at a depth of about 2,900 kilometers (1,800 miles) and probably consisting of iron and nickel. It is made up of a liquid outer core and a solid inner core.
8. A mass of dry sand placed within a mold to provide openings or shape to a casting.
9. A reactor core.
10. A cylindrical sample of rock, ice, or other material obtained from the center of a mass by drilling or cutting.
11. The base, usually of soft or inferior wood, to which veneer woods are glued.
12. Archaeology. A stone from which one or more flakes have been removed, serving as a source for such flakes or as a tool itself.
