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

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

also : its grain

: 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

According to other research, Pompeii residents consumed large quantities of cereal foods, such as grains and, potentially, bread from the city’s many bakeries. —

Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 5 July 2023 Cereal grains like oatmeal, whole fruits, and beans are all good sources of soluble fiber. —

Dr. Manny Alvarez, Fox News, 23 May 2017

Noun

In contrast, Google says that its business practices are unremarkable and accepted, akin to cereal or soda companies’ paying for shelf space at local supermarkets. —

Sophie Hills, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Sep. 2023 Still, like varying brands of cereal, there is a wide range of each major weapons system. —

Patricia Cohen, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Sep. 2023 Qualified foods are those defined by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program, or SNAP, the formal name for food stamps : Fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, dairy, breads, cereals, snack foods, non-alcoholic beverages and the seeds and plants that produce food. —

Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, 30 Aug. 2023 Dry goods such as cereal and pasta will be sourced in the state whenever possible. —

Kolbie Peterson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 30 Aug. 2023 Luckily, more grocery stores than ever now offer alternative, gluten-free snacks and ingredients that look and taste like the real deal (gluten-free cereal will be your new go-to breakfast). —

Samantha MacAvoy, Women's Health, 22 Aug. 2023 One classic example is the addition of folic acid to breakfast cereals, which started in the late 1990s. —

Christina Manian, Rdn, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Aug. 2023 That’s fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, bread, cereal, snack foods, non-alcoholic drinks and the seeds and plants that produce food. —

Ike Morgan | Imorgan@al.com, al, 1 Sep. 2023 Kellogg’s case for why the cereal business would be better off on its own has a few problems. —

Aaron Back, WSJ, 9 Aug. 2023 See More

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

See more words from the same year