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

I, on the other hand, can be nitpicky and hypercritical when I peruse the copy on the back of a cereal box.

From Los Angeles Times

Witness the cereal aisle, home now to Cheerios Protein, Nature Valley Protein Granola and many more protein-infused brands.

From The Wall Street Journal

The guidelines advise people to steer clear of packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat or other foods with added sugars and salt—say, sugary cereal and frozen pizza.

From The Wall Street Journal

As well as more obviously unhealthy foods, the ban will also cover some breakfast cereals and porridges, sweetened bread products, and main meals and sandwiches.

From BBC

They have lost interest in the mundane—how cereal boxes, air conditioners, fish-stick packages or garbage cans will change over the coming years.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bran
• corn
• grain
• rice
• wheat