jelly

[ jel-ee ]

noun

, plural jel·lies.

1. a food preparation of a soft, elastic consistency due to the presence of gelatin, pectin, etc., especially fruit juice boiled down with sugar and used as a sweet spread for bread and toast, as a filling for cakes or doughnuts, etc.
2. any substance having the consistency of jelly.
3. Chiefly British. a fruit-flavored gelatin dessert.
4. a plastic sandal or shoe.

verb (used with or without object)

, jel·lied, jel·ly·ing.

1. to bring or come to the consistency of jelly.

adjective

1. containing or made, spread, or topped with jelly or syrup; jellied:

   jelly apples.

jelly

¹

/ ˈdʒɛlɪ /

noun

1. a slang name for gelignite

jelly

²

/ ˈdʒɛlɪ /

noun

1. a fruit-flavoured clear dessert set with gelatine US and Canadian trademarkJell-o
2. a preserve made from the juice of fruit boiled with sugar and used as jam
3. a savoury food preparation set with gelatine or with a strong gelatinous stock and having a soft elastic consistency

   calf's-foot jelly

4. anything having the consistency of jelly
5. informal.
   a coloured gelatine filter that can be fitted in front of a stage or studio light

verb

1. to jellify

Derived Forms

• ˈjelly-ˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• jelly·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of jelly¹

1350–1400; Middle English gely < Old French gelee frozen jelly < Medieval Latin gelāta frozen, equivalent to Latin gel- freeze + -āta -ate ¹; gel, cold

Word History and Origins

Origin of jelly¹

C14: from Old French gelee frost, jelly, from geler to set hard, from Latin gelāre, from gelu frost

Example Sentences

Months after sporting a fake baby belly in the music video for Machine Gun Kelly and Jelly Roll’s “Lonely Road,” Megan Fox is showing off her bona fide bump.

From Los Angeles Times

To test whether this comb jelly was actually two individuals who had fused together, the scientists tested individual ctenophores collected at different sites on separate dates.

From Salon

Fellow co-author Kei Jokura, a biologist at the University of Exeter, initially discovered the fused comb jelly.

From Salon

Country superstar Jelly Roll gave an outstanding rendition of Osbourne’s "Mama, I’m Coming Home".

From BBC

Oliver Steeper died aged nine months old, six days after he choked at Jelly Beans Day Nursery in Ashford, Kent, in 2021.

From BBC

Related Words

• gelatin