cereal

1 of 2

adjective

ce·​re·​al ˈsir-ē-əl 

: relating to grain or to the plants that produce it

also : made of grain

cereal

2 of 2

noun

1

: a plant (such as a grass) yielding starchy grain suitable for food

also : its grain

2

: a prepared foodstuff of grain (such as oatmeal or cornflakes)

Did you know?

Cereal Has Roots in Roman Myth

The Roman goddess Ceres, the equivalent of the Greek Demeter, was a calm goddess who didn't take part in the quarrels of the other gods. Her particular responsibility was the food-giving plants, and for that reason the food grains came to carry her name. Cereals of the ancient Romans included wheat, barley, spelt, oats, and millet—but not corn (maize), which was a cereal of the Americas.

Examples of cereal in a Sentence

Noun

Wheat and barley are common cereals.

Some kinds of cereal have a lot of added sugar.

Some cereals have a lot of added sugar.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In the late 1800s, Heinz claimed to make 57 varieties of sauces Much like the familiar tale of foreign tourists being shocked at the mind-numbing variety available in the cereal aisle of an American supermarket, for condiments too the name of the game is an excess of options. —Whizy Kim, Vox, 5 Sep. 2024

Other deals and endorsements Phelps received include cereal brand Wheaties and Subway sandwiches. —Julia Teti, WWD, 31 July 2024

Noun

Mutombo swats away office waste paper, a kid’s cereal box, laundromat clothes and toll-booth change in the ad, taunting each of the shooters before running away. —Sean Gregory, TIME, 30 Sep. 2024

An example might be taking a picture of a cereal box to remind you to buy more. —Larry Magid, The Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from French & Latin; French céréale, borrowed from Latin Ceriālis, Cereālis "of the goddess Ceres, of wheat or bread," from Cerer-, Cerēs ceres + -ālis -al entry 1

Note: The derivation of Ceriālis, Cereālis is unclear, as formation directly from the noun does not look possible. M. Leumann (Lateinische Laut- und Formenlehre, Munich, 1977, p. 180) suggests as the base an earlier *Cerrius, from *Cerzios, syncopated from a possessive adjective *Cerez-ios. A putative *Cerriālis would have been re-formed to Ceriālis, then Cereālis, after Cerēs.

Noun

derivative of cereal entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1818, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cereal

• cereal leaf beetle

Kids Definition

cereal

1 of 2 adjective

ce·​re·​al ˈsir-ē-əl 

: relating to grain or to the plants that produce it

also : made of grain

cereal

2 of 2 noun

1

: a plant (as a grass) that produces starchy grain suitable for food

also : its grain

2

: a prepared food (as oatmeal or cornflakes) of grain

Etymology

Adjective

derived from Latin cerealis "of grain," literally, "of Ceres," from Ceres (name of Roman goddess of grain)

Medical Definition

cereal

1 of 2 adjective

ce·​re·​al ˈsir-ē-əl 

: relating to grain or to the plants that produce it

also : made of grain

cereal

2 of 2 noun

1

: a plant (as a grass) yielding farinaceous grain suitable for food

also : its grain

2

: a prepared foodstuff of grain