Ceres
noun
Ce·res ˈsir-(ˌ)ēz 
1
: the Roman goddess of agriculture compare demeter
2
: a dwarf planet that orbits within the asteroid belt with a mean distance from the sun of 2.7 astronomical units (260 million miles) and a diameter of 590 miles (950 kilometers)
Word History
Etymology
Latin Cerer-, Cerēs, probably personified noun derivative going back to an Indo-European adjective *ḱerh3-ḗs "of grain," derivative of *ḱérh3-o/es "nourishment, grain," derivative of a verbal base *ḱerh3- "feed, fill, satisfy," whence also Greek koréō "(I) will satiate, fill," Lithuanian šeriù, šérti "to feed," Germanic *hersija- "of grain" (whence Old Saxon hirsi "millet," Old High German hirso, hirsi)
Note: Latin crēscere "to increase" and creāre "to beget, bring into being" are most likely unrelated—see crescent entry 1.
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Geographical Definition
Ceres
geographical name
Ce·res ˈsir-(ˌ)ēz
city in central California southeast of Modesto population 45,417