Meanings
adjectivekernish (comparative more kernish, superlative most kernish)
comparative more kernish · superlative most kernish
- obsoleteclownish; boorish
Ireland […] was once the conqueſt of one ſingle Earl with his private forces, and the ſmall aſſiſtance of a petty Kerniſh Prince,
1642, John Milton, The Reason of Church-Government Urg’d against Prelaty; republished in A Complete Collection of the Historical, Political, and Miscellaneous Works of John Milton, […], volume I, Amsterdam [actually London: s.n.], 1698, →OCLC, pages 218–219
Origin
From kern + -ish, from kern (“a boor”).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
kernish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kernish
MLA
“kernish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kernish. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kernish,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kernish.
Source: kernish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.