cereal

1 of 2

adjective

ce·​re·​al ˈsir-ē-əl How to pronounce cereal (audio)
: 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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Adjective
Rice Krispie Treats Cereal What’s better than a bowl of Rice Krispies cereal? Kara Nesvig, Parents, 10 Oct. 2024 There is also a rich, malty aroma of cooked cereal, sweet vanilla, and light, toasty oak notes from the bourbon casks. Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2024
Noun
Take the dog on a short walk and retreat to the couch with tea and cereal. R29 Team, refinery29.com, 23 Oct. 2024 To easily get more flax seeds in your diet, grind them and add them to cereals, yogurt, or smoothies. 6. Sarah Scott, Verywell Health, 22 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cereal 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of cereal was in 1818

Dictionary Entries Near cereal

Cite this Entry

“Cereal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cereal. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

cereal

1 of 2 adjective
ce·​re·​al ˈsir-ē-əl How to pronounce cereal (audio)
: 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 How to pronounce cereal (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on cereal

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