a. and sb. [ad. L. Cereālis pertaining to Ceres, the goddess of agriculture: cf. mod.F. céréale.]

1

  A.  adj. Of or pertaining to corn or edible grain.

2

1818.  Colebrooke, Import Colonial Corn, 20. Wheat … is, of all the cereal seeds, the best adapted to the making of bread.

3

1853.  G. Johnston, Nat. Hist. E. Bord., 19. The sylvan and cereal grounds of Blanerne.

4

1869.  Oliver, Elem. Bot., II. 276. Corn-producing or Cereal Grasses, called Cereals, from Ceres, the Roman goddess of Corn.

5

  B.  sb. (usually in pl.; also in Lat. form cerealia.) A name given to those plants of the order Graminaceæ or grasses that are cultivated for their seed as human food; commonly comprised under the name corn or grain. (Sometimes extended to cultivated leguminous plants.)

6

1832.  Veg. Subst. Food, 10. The chief corn-plants, or cerealia, are wheat, rye, barley, oats, millet, rice, and maize.

7

1868.  Darwin, Anim. & Pl., I. ix. 318. The slow and gradual improvement of our cereals.

8

1872.  Baker, Nile Tribut., iv. 54. The cultivation of this cereal.

9

  ¶ Used to render L. Cerealia, ancient Roman games in honor of Ceres.

10

1600.  Holland, Livy, XXX. xxxix. 768. The Dictatour and Generall … exhibited the games called Cereales … to the honour of Ceres.

11

  Hence Cerealian, Cerealic adjs.; Cerealism (after vegetarianism).

12

1849.  Thoreau, Week Concord Riv., 235. These cerealian blossoms expanded.

13

1881.  E. W. WhiteCameos fr. Silver-land, I. 95. They shall become a vast cerealic and frugiferous as well as lanigerous and pelliferous region.

14

1888.  G. J. Holyoake, in Co-operative News, 14 April, 337. The progress which vegetarianism, or rather cerealism, is making everywhere.

15