Etymograph

English

cereal

Cereal comes from French céréale ‘having to do with cereal’, from Latin Cerealis ‘of or relating to Ceres’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- ‘grow’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱer-‘grow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱerēsreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*Kerēsreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CECeres‘Roman goddess of agriculture’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CECerealis‘of or relating to Ceres’
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentcéréale‘having to do with cereal’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1818cereal

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱer-‘grow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱerēsreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*Kerēsreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CECeres‘Roman goddess of agriculture’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CECerealis‘of or relating to Ceres’
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentcéréale‘having to do with cereal’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1818cereal

Earliest quotation: 1818, Henry Thomas Colebrooke, Cereal (sīᵊ·riˌăl), a. and sb.: “Wheat .. is, of all the cereal seeds, the…”

Formed from Ceres + -al

Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- ‘to grow, to nourish’

Proto-Indo-European *ḱerēs

Proto-Italic *Kerēs

Latin Cerēs

English Ceres

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- ‘grow’

increase, create, crew, increasing, creative, creator, decrease, creature, crescent, creole, croissant, increment, cru, excrement, accretion, procreation, kore, creat, 26 more

Today it means

noun A type of grass (such as wheat, rice or oats) cultivated for its edible grains.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- / cereal

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