Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • A surname: "Kellogg" is primarily a family name.
   • A specific historical figure: It refers to Will Keith Kellogg, an American industrialist and food manufacturer who co-invented corn flakes breakfast cereal and founded the Kellogg Company.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • Kellogg was a pioneer in the breakfast food industry. (This refers to the person, W.K. Kellogg.)
  • The Kellogg family donated the land for the park. (This uses "Kellogg" as a surname.)

Advanced Usage

• "Kellogg" as a metonym: The name is sometimes used to refer to the company or its products by association.
  • She only buys Kellogg for her family's breakfast. (This implies products from the Kellogg Company.)

Variants and Related Words

• Kellogg's (trademark/proper noun): The common trademark and consumer brand name for the Kellogg Company's products.
  • I ate a bowl of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes.

Synonyms

• Food industrialist: (when referring to W.K. Kellogg's profession).
• Cereal manufacturer: (when referring to his business).

Notes on Meaning

• The word "Kellogg" itself is a proper noun. Its primary dictionary meaning is as the surname of a notable historical figure. It is not a common noun for a type of food or object. The common association with breakfast cereal comes from the company named after him.

Noun

1. United States food manufacturer who (with his brother) developed a breakfast cereal of crisp flakes of rolled and toasted wheat and corn; he established a company to manufacture the cereal (1860-1951)