Borrowed from French céréale (“having to do with cereal”), from Latin Cerealis (“of or relating to Ceres”), from Ceres (“Roman goddess of agriculture”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- (“grow”), from which also Latin sincerus (English sincere) and Latin crēscō (“grow”) (English crescent). The adjective is equivalent to Cere(s) + -al.
Meanings
(not-comparable) Of or relating to cereal.
Wheat .. is, of all the cereal seeds, the best adapted to the making of bread. 1818, H[enry] T[homas] Colebrooke, On Import of Colonial Corn, London: J[ohn] Murray, →OCLC, page 20; quoted in “Cereal (sīᵊ·riˌăl), a. and sb.”, in James A[ugustus] H[enry] Murray [et al.], editors, A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volume II (C), London: Clarendon Press, 1884–1928, →OCLC, page 230, column 1:
The species printed in small capitals are Corn-producing or Cereal Grasses, called Cereals, from Ceres, the Roman goddess of Corn. 1864, Daniel Oliver, “Natural Order—Gramineæ. The Grass Family.”, in Lessons in Elementary Botany. […], London; Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, part II (Classification of Plants), class II (Monocotyledons), sub-class Glumiferæ, page 267:
The river flows on, washing the base of the sandstone fossiliferous bank at Preston-bridge,—lightening up the rich valley of Preston-haugh,—lending beauty to the open demesnes of Broomhouse, and to the sylvan and cereal grounds of Blanerne; […] 1853, George Johnston, “The Natural History of the Eastern Borders”, in The Botany of the Eastern Borders, […], London: John Van Voorst, […], →OCLC, page 19:
Millet, the smallest of all the cereal seeds cultivated for food, grows on arid soils, where rice and maize cannot be successfully cultivated, […] 1837, Henry Duncan, “Eleventh Week—Wednesday. The Corn-Plants.—Rice, Maize, and Millet.”, in Sacred Philosophy of the Seasons; Illustrating the Perfections of God in the Phenomena of the Year, [volume 1] (Spring), Edinburgh: William Oliphant and Son; […], →OCLC, page 333:
Borrowed from French céréale (“having to do with cereal”), from Latin Cerealis (“of or relating to Ceres”), from Ceres (“Roman goddess of agriculture”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- (“grow”), from which also Latin sincerus (English sincere) and Latin crēscō (“grow”) (English crescent). The adjective is equivalent to Cere(s) + -al.
Meanings
(countable) A type of grass (such as wheat, rice or oats) cultivated for its edible grains.
hi खाद्यान्न (type of grass) · gl cereal (type of grass) · tl angkak (grains of such a grass) · th ธัญพืช (type of grass) · ko 곡물 (grains of such a grass) · es cereal (grains of such a grass) · ca cereal (type of grass) · ba ярма (grains of such a grass) · bg жи́тна култу́ра (type of grass) · cs obilí (grains of such a grass) · cmn 穀類 /谷类 (type of grass) · be збо́жжа (type of grass) · sv korn (grains of such a grass) · ar حُبُوب (grains of such a grass) · tr tahıl (type of grass) · sh zȑno (grains of such a grass) · fa-ira غَلِّه (type of grass) · el δημητριακά (grains of such a grass) · bg жи́то (grains of such a grass) · sh зр̏но (grains of such a grass) · gl cereais (grains of such a grass) · bg зърно́ (grains of such a grass) · hu gabona (type of grass) · ru злак (type of grass) · hu gabonaszem (grains of such a grass) · sh жита̀рица (type of grass) · kjh чарба (grains of such a grass) · cmn 穀物 /谷物 (type of grass) · tr tahıl (grains of such a grass) · cmn 穀物 /谷物 (grains of such a grass) · tr hububat (type of grass) · es mies (grains of such a grass) · da korn (grains of such a grass) · mk житарка (type of grass) · fr céréale (type of grass) · sl zrno (grains of such a grass) · hu szemestermény (type of grass) · de Getreide (grains of such a grass) · ne खाद्यान्न (type of grass) · de Frucht (grains of such a grass) · ja 穀物 (grains of such a grass) · krc джарма (grains of such a grass) · pl zboże (grains of such a grass) · ka ხორბლეული (grains of such a grass) · grc σῖτος (grains of such a grass) · el δημητριακά (type of grass) · ja 穀物 (type of grass) · be збо́жжа (grains of such a grass) · es herbal (type of grass) · hu gabonanövény (type of grass) · fi vilja (grains of such a grass) · sl žito (type of grass) · eu zereal (type of grass) · et teravili (grains of such a grass) · hu gabonaneműek (type of grass) · hi खाद्यान्न (grains of such a grass) · grc ἀκτή (grains of such a grass) · hy հացաբույս (type of grass) · ru зернова́я культу́ра (type of grass) · ne खाद्यान्न (grains of such a grass) · mi huapata (grains of such a grass) · zu okusanhlamvu (type of grass) · mi pata kai (type of grass) · mk жито (type of grass) · cy ŷd (type of grass) · lv labība (type of grass) · ne अनाज (type of grass) · ro grâne (grains of such a grass) · sh žitàrica (type of grass) · sq drithi (type of grass) · ro cereală (grains of such a grass) · ko 곡물 (type of grass) · fi viljanjyvä (grains of such a grass) · da kornsort (type of grass) · he דָּגָן (type of grass) · egy sSr-Z1-U9:Z2ss (grains of such a grass) · hu cereália (type of grass) · ru крупа́ (grains of such a grass) · ba аш (grains of such a grass) · ca cereals (grains of such a grass) · hu gabona (grains of such a grass) · hu liszttermék (type of grass) · de Korn (type of grass) · de Korn (grains of such a grass) · sv sädesslag (type of grass) · la sacrificium (type of grass) · kum ярма (grains of such a grass) · de Zerealie (type of grass) · mk жито (grains of such a grass) · ms bijirin (grains of such a grass) · es cereal (type of grass) · vi ngũ cốc (type of grass) · az taxıl (type of grass) · alt јарма (grains of such a grass) · ro cereală (type of grass) · pt cereal (type of grass) · de Getreide (type of grass) · tl angkak (type of grass) · uk збі́жжя (grains of such a grass) · et teravili (type of grass) · da korn (type of grass) · bg зъ́рно (grains of such a grass) · ka ხორბლის (type of grass) · eo cerealo (grains of such a grass) · hu gabonafélék (type of grass) · hy հացահատիկային կուլտուրա (type of grass) · fj covuata (type of grass) · lt javas (type of grass) · pl zboże (type of grass) · es cereales (grains of such a grass) · fa-ira غَلات (grains of such a grass) · sw nafaka (type of grass) · id sereal (type of grass) · ht sereyal (type of grass) · gsw Frucht (grains of such a grass) · cs obilnina (type of grass) · qu riwi (type of grass) · cy grawn (grains of such a grass) · fi vilja (type of grass) · it cereale (type of grass) · sk obilie (grains of such a grass) · bg зъ́рнени храни́ (grains of such a grass) · la frūmentum (grains of such a grass) · hy հացահատիկ (grains of such a grass) · eo cerealo (type of grass) · ne अनाज (grains of such a grass) · pt cereais (grains of such a grass) · lv labība (grains of such a grass) · ms bijian (type of grass) · mk зрна (grains of such a grass)