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Confused about what "Linux" means

I've heard people say that Linux is a misnomer. Supposedly, the operating system is not Linux, Linux is just a part of it called a kernel, and the operating system should be called something else.

But other than times when people are pointing this out, everyone seems to say "Linux" and mean the operating system. Even this site is called Linux. All the distros call themselves "Linux". When choosing an OS, the options are always Windows, Mac, Linux. So why do people say the OS is not called Linux? Does this "kernel" actually matter?

I'm looking for a summary overview about the terminology, not an in-depth technical review of the architecture.