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cereal

 - 5 dictionary results

ce⋅re⋅al

[seer-ee-uhl]
–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, esp. a breakfast food.
–adjective
4. of or pertaining to grain or the plants producing it.

Origin:
1590–1600; < L Cereālis of, pertaining to Ceres; see -al 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ce·re·al   (sîr'ē-əl)   
n.  
    1. A grass such as wheat, oats, or corn, the starchy grains of which are used as food.

    2. The grain of such a grass.

  1. Any of several other plants or their edible seed or fruit, such as buckwheat or grain amaranth.

  2. A food prepared from any of these plants, especially a breakfast food made from commercially processed grain.

adj.  Consisting of or relating to grain or to a plant producing grain.

[From Latin cereālis, of grain, from Cerēs, Ceres; see ker-2 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

cereal 
1832, "grass yielding edible grain," originally an adj. (1818), from Fr. céréale, from L. Cerealis "of grain," originally "of Ceres," from Ceres, Roman goddess of agriculture, from PIE base *ker-, *kre- "to grow." The application to breakfast food is Amer.Eng. 1899.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1ce·re·al
Pronunciation: 'sir-E-&l
Function: adjective
: relating to grain or to the plants that produce it;also : made of grain

Main Entry: 2cereal
Function: noun
1 : a plant (as a grass) yielding farinaceous grain suitable for food; also : its grain
2 : a prepared foodstuff of grain
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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