cereal

American  

[seer-ee-uhl] / ˈsɪər i əl /

noun

1. any plant of the grass family yielding an edible grain, as wheat, rye, oats, rice, or corn.

2. the grain itself.

3. some edible preparation of it, especially a breakfast food.

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adjective

1. of or relating to grain or the plants producing it.

cereal British  

/ ˈsɪərɪəl /

noun

1. any grass that produces an edible grain, such as oat, rye, wheat, rice, maize, sorghum, and millet

2. the grain produced by such a plant

3. any food made from this grain, esp breakfast food

4. (modifier) of or relating to any of these plants or their products

   cereal farming

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cereal Scientific  

/ sîr′ē-əl /

1. A grass, such as corn, rice, sorghum, or wheat, whose starchy grains are used as food. Cereals are annual plants, and cereal crops must be reseeded for each growing season. Cereal grasses were domesticated during the Neolithic Period and formed the basis of early agriculture.

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Other Word Forms

• noncereal adjective

Etymology

Origin of cereal

1590–1600; < Latin Cereālis of, pertaining to Ceres; -al ¹

Example Sentences

Some shopping basket goods including bacon, cereals and processed fish became cheaper last year, according to the data.

From BBC

“Do you want chicken and broccoli or cereal?”

From Literature

India said the deal safeguarded sensitive sectors including dairy, cereals, poultry, soybean meal and certain fruits and vegetables.

From Barron's

Cutting and coloring the thin cardboard from cereal boxes to make Mariposa passports for her friends and family.

From Literature

In addition to tobacco and transport prices, "rising food costs, particularly for bread and cereals, were also an upward driver," said ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner.

From BBC

Related Words

• bran
• corn
• grain
• rice
• wheat