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

The "whole world was spinning" as he was thrown to the ground and noticed his leg "felt like jelly".

From BBC

Three staffing firms, for example, are under investigation by the Illinois Labor Department for concerns related to improper training at Ferrara Candy, the maker of SweeTarts and Jelly Belly jelly beans.

From New York Times

Players were stranded on the bus with little food other than eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

From Los Angeles Times

It uses a cavernous hood to trap crustaceans to eat — a feeding strategy also used by anemones and some jellies.

From Los Angeles Times

The first is a study from the journal Current Biology found that ctenophores, a phlyum of aquatic invertebrates better known as comb jellies, can successfully fuse together after being injured.

From Salon

Related Words

• gelatin