KDE

Abbreviation with 2 meanings

KDE
Stands forKernel density estimation
Meanings2
CategoriesUnits & Measurements, Technology & Computing

KDE has two meanings. It stands for Kernel density estimation (statistics) or K Desktop Environment (software).

Meanings of KDE at a glance

#KDE stands forContext
1Kernel density estimationUnits & Measurements › Statistics
2K Desktop EnvironmentTechnology & Computing › Software

1. Kernel density estimation

Units & Measurements · Statistics Abbreviations

A nonparametric way to estimate a smooth probability density by placing a small bump (kernel) on each observation and adding them up. It provides smooth alternatives to histograms.

Example: A KDE plot of delivery times shows two peaks, one for local and one for regional orders.

The bandwidth controls smoothness: too small gives a jagged curve, too large hides real features, and Silverman's rule of thumb is a common default. The method was developed by Murray Rosenblatt (1956) and Emanuel Parzen (1962) and is sometimes called the Parzen-Rosenblatt window method.

2. K Desktop Environment

Technology & Computing · Software Abbreviations

Free software community best known for the Plasma desktop environment for Linux and other Unix-like systems, along with applications such as Dolphin, Kdenlive and Krita. Plasma also powers the Steam Deck's desktop mode.

Example: I switched my Linux laptop from GNOME to KDE Plasma for its Windows-like taskbar.

Matthias Ettrich founded the project in 1996; the "K" was a play on CDE, the commercial Common Desktop Environment of the time. Since 2009 "KDE" names the community rather than a single product. KDE software is built on the Qt framework. Valve's choice of Plasma for the Steam Deck in 2022 brought it to millions of new users.

More statistics abbreviations

  • ICC – Intraclass correlation coefficient
  • iid – Independent and identically distributed
  • IQR – Interquartile range
  • IV – Instrumental variable
  • KS – Kolmogorov-Smirnov (test)
  • LASSO – Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator
  • LDA – Linear discriminant analysis
  • LLN – Law of large numbers

See all 88 statistics abbreviations →

More software abbreviations

  • GRUB – GRand Unified Bootloader
  • i18n – Internationalization
  • IAP – In-app purchase
  • ISV – Independent software vendor
  • KMS – Key Management Service
  • l10n – Localization
  • LGPL – GNU Lesser General Public License
  • LTS – Long-term support

See all 70 software abbreviations →