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Ceres

American  
[seer-eez] / ˈsɪər iz /

noun

  1. Classical Mythology. a pre-Roman goddess of agriculture under whose name the Romans adopted the worship of the Greek goddess Demeter.

  2. Astronomy. one of the brightest and by far the largest asteroid in our solar system, discovered in 1801 and located in the asteroid belt: the first asteroid to be discovered, Ceres is also classified as a dwarf planet.

  3. a town in central California.


Ceres 1 British  
/ ˈsɪəriːz /

noun

  1. the smallest dwarf planet in the solar system, located in the asteroid belt. It has a diameter of 930 kilometres

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Ceres 2 British  
/ ˈsɪəriːz /

noun

  1. Greek counterpart: Demeter.  the Roman goddess of agriculture

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Ceres Scientific  
/ sîrēz /
  1. The closest dwarf planet to the Sun , with an orbit in the asteroid belt. Ceres was the first object in the asteroid belt to be discovered (1801). Initially considered a planet, it was reclassified as an asteroid in the mid-1800s and as a dwarf planet in 2006. It has a diameter of about 960 km (595 mi).

  2. See more at dwarf planet


Ceres Cultural  
  1. The Roman name for Demeter, the Greek and Roman goddess of agriculture.


Etymology

Origin of Ceres

First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin Cerēs, the goddess of grain and mother of Persephone; as a common noun, “wheat, corn; bread, food”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The Ceres analysis also said water demand could grow rapidly in neighboring New Mexico, where some of Phoenix’s energy is produced.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 3, 2026

But in a world where global warming fixes can seem impossibly daunting, limiting methane pollution from stripper wells is the rare low-hanging fruit, Andrew Logan of Ceres, a climate advocacy group, told me.

From Salon Jun. 24, 2026

Ceres has a market cap of roughly $2 billion, a fraction of Bloom’s.

From Barron's Jun. 5, 2026

Ceres I is a large crude oil carrying supertanker.

From BBC Jul. 21, 2024

Blood flowed from the tree when he struck it and a voice came from within warning him that Ceres would surely punish his crime.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

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