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

The products listed in the first round of tariffs for Canada cover a diverse range which includes: cereal, flour, starch and milk products; wood; appliances; rubbers; alcoholic beverages; carpets and floor coverings; wool, cotton and fabric; books; and cork. —Mark Faithfull, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025

Indeed, blueberries are popular in smoothies and are a common topping on Greek yogurt, pancakes, cereal, oatmeal, waffles and salads. —Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024

Noun

Cow's milk, breakfast cereals, and margarine were first fortified with vitamin D in the 1930s to reduce the risk of rickets (a bone disease that may occur due to a vitamin D deficiency).1 Vitamin D is most commonly added to dairy products like milk and yogurt. —Brittany Lubeck, Ms, Rdn, Verywell Health, 20 Mar. 2025

By the close of their show, after having mimed chasing after the performance’s nonexistent plot, Tatarsky sat at the head of a table, facing the audience, eating Life cereal with milk, with their hands, out of an empty skull, and at one point chewed and swallowed a cigarette. —Priscilla Posada, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 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