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

Heading to store shelves soon is a new Oreo Puffs variety from cereal giant Post Consumer Brands, with a Halloween trick for a treat. —Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 22 July 2025

The menu also features oatmeal bowls, bagels, breakfast sandwiches, cereal sundaes and shakes, smoothies, coffee and more. —Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025

Noun

For many low-income individuals and families, the benefits are their only means of affording staples like milk, eggs, cereal and vegetables. —Aria Bendix, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025

Fold in 6 cups of the crisped rice cereal. —Cody Godwin, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025

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

Rhymes for cereal

• virial
• antibacterial
• biomaterial
• mycobacterial
• arterial
• bacterial
• ethereal
• funereal
• imperial
• material
• sidereal
• venereal

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