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cereal

adjective
ce·​re·​al | \ ˈsir-ē-əl How to pronounce cereal (audio) \

Definition of cereal

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: relating to grain or to the plants that produce it also : made of grain

cereal

noun

Definition of cereal (Entry 2 of 2)

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)
Cereal Has Roots in Roman Myth Example Sentences Learn More about cereal

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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

 Specialty varieties include Key lime pie, cereal crunch, vegan chocolate peanut butter and spectacular s’mores. — Florence Fabricant, New York Times, "New Nitrogen Ice Cream Shop Opens," 5 Aug. 2019 Cereal grains like oatmeal, whole fruits, and beans are all good sources of soluble fiber. — Dr. Manny Alvarez, Fox News, "Could this be the next great weight loss secret?," 23 May 2017 Cereal growers must meet stringent quality criteria according to the end-use of their crop: for pasta production durum wheat must have a protein content of 14%. — National Geographic, "Pasta Potential: Why the World Needs Better Wheat," 24 Feb. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

 One of them is Tarrike Berhe, an Ethiopian American who spent 40 years studying rice and other cereal grains. — Los Angeles Times, "Could teff, an ancient African grain, find a foothold in a warming California?," 3 Sep. 2019 Thanks to the miniaturization of electronics and the standardization of satellite technology, manufacturers are able to build vehicles as small as cereal boxes that are just as capable as their predecessors. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "SpaceX will now offer rocket rideshares tailored solely to small satellites," 5 Aug. 2019 And when they're topped with our favorite breakfast cereal or loaded with tropical fruit filling , that's a solid yes. — Marcy De Luna, Houston Chronicle, "12 deliciously creative donuts for National Doughnut Day," 7 June 2019 Try things upside down: Peel bananas from the other end, sleep in your bed with your head at the foot and pour milk before your cereal. — WSJ, "101 Ways to Live, Work and Goof Off More Ambitiously," 26 Oct. 2018 Does that mean everyone should shoehorn LSD into their morning cereal? — Sean Illing, Vox, "How meditation and psychedelic drugs could reduce political partisanship," 17 Oct. 2018 Kellogg's will be bringing a bit of magic to the US with their Unicorn cereal! — Chris Sims, Indianapolis Star, "Lucky Charms unicorn marshmallow replaces hourglass, fans approve," 20 Feb. 2018 And while swapping out a few tablespoons of milk in your coffee every day won’t make a big difference in overall nutrition, Vanga says there could be implications for adults who consume considerably more milk—like every morning with their cereal. — Amanda Macmillan, Time, "This Type of Non-Dairy Milk is the Healthiest, Study Says," 30 Jan. 2018 Thus we’re left to be confounded by the choices of the modern American cereal aisle. — Quanta Magazine, "The Neuroscience Behind Bad Decisions," 23 Aug. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cereal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of cereal

Adjective

1818, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for cereal

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

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More Definitions for cereal

cereal

noun

English Language Learners Definition of cereal

: a plant (such as a grass) that produces grain that can be eaten
: a breakfast food made from grain

See the full definition for cereal in the English Language Learners Dictionary

cereal

noun
ce·​re·​al | \ ˈsir-ē-əl How to pronounce cereal (audio) \

Kids Definition of cereal

1 : a plant (as a grass) that produces grain for food
2 : a food prepared from grain breakfast cereals

cereal

adjective
ce·​re·​al | \ ˈsir-ē-əl How to pronounce cereal (audio) \

Medical Definition of cereal

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: relating to grain or to the plants that produce it also : made of grain

cereal

noun

Medical Definition of cereal (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a plant (as a grass) yielding farinaceous grain suitable for food also : its grain
2 : a prepared foodstuff of grain

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