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

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

From cereal to soda, snacks to produce, the pattern is identical.

From MarketWatch

Lower food prices were the main driver of the fall, "with decreases seen particularly for cakes, biscuits, and breakfast cereals", according to Office for National Statistics chief economist Grant Fitzner.

From BBC

Pour that mixture over your favorite corn, wheat, or rice cereal and mix everything using your hands.

From Salon

These items included crisps, sweetened fruit drinks or sodas made from plant extracts, chocolate-based sweets or confectionery, sugary breakfast cereals, and savory biscuits.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• bran
• corn
• grain
• rice
• wheat