cereal definition - Dictionary

Dictionary

ce·re·al [ sree əl ] (plural ce·re·als)

noun

Definition:

1. grain: the nutritious grain produced by a cultivated plant belonging to the grass family, e.g. oats, barley, rye, wheat, rice, and corn

2. crop plant: a plant that is cultivated for cereal

3. breakfast food: food made from cereal and eaten especially at breakfast, usually with milk

[Early 19th century. Directly or via French céréale< Latin cerealis "of grain cultivation," after Ceres¹]

Spelling Note


	cereal or serial? Do not confuse the spelling of cereal and serial, which sound similar. A cereal is a type of plant, its grain, or food made from it, as in cereal crops, breakfast cereal. The word serial can be used a noun, denoting a story in episodes, or as an adjective, meaning "forming a series or doing things in a series," as in a serial killer.