Ceres

noun

Ce·​res ˈsir-(ˌ)ēz 

1

: the Roman goddess of agriculture compare demeter

2

: a dwarf planet that orbits within the asteroid belt with a mean distance from the sun of 2.7 astronomical units (260 million miles) and a diameter of 590 miles (950 kilometers)

Word History

Etymology

Latin Cerer-, Cerēs, probably personified noun derivative going back to an Indo-European adjective *ḱerh₃-ḗs "of grain," derivative of *ḱérh₃-o/es "nourishment, grain," derivative of a verbal base *ḱerh₃- "feed, fill, satisfy," whence also Greek koréō "(I) will satiate, fill," Lithuanian šeriù, šérti "to feed," Germanic *hersija- "of grain" (whence Old Saxon hirsi "millet," Old High German hirso, hirsi)

Note: Latin crēscere "to increase" and creāre "to beget, bring into being" are most likely unrelated—see crescent entry 1.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Geographical Definition

Ceres

geographical name

Ce·​res ˈsir-(ˌ)ēz 

city in central California southeast of Modesto population 45,417