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
Adjective
Hot buttered Cheerios® is very simply cereal that's been cooked in butter with seasonings. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 June 2024 The fourth flavor, Supermoon, is a retired flavor that’s returning to scoop shops and pints, known for having a cereal milk flavor with marshmallows, candied violet and plenty of glittery moon dust. Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
Although much of it evaporates when microwaved or prepared on a stove top, runnier oatmeal is still a more hydrating food than a bowl of dry cereal with barely any milk. Joey Skladany, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 June 2024 While nothing beats the convenience of breakfast cereal, its other qualities might be a little less spectacular. Audrey Bruno, SELF, 20 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for cereal 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cereal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 4 Jul. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!