jelly

American  

[jel-ee] / ˈdʒɛl i /

noun

plural

jellies

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.

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verb (used with or without object)

jellied, jellying

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 British  

/ ˈdʒɛlɪ /

noun

1. US and Canadian trademark: Jell-o.  a fruit-flavoured clear dessert set with gelatine

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

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verb

1. to jellify

jelly ² British  

/ ˈdʒɛlɪ /

noun

1. a slang name for gelignite

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Other Word Forms

• jelly-like adjective
• jellylike adjective

Etymology

Origin of jelly

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

Explanation

Jelly is a sweet preserved form of fruit that's usually made with sugar. Your favorite breakfast might be buttered toast spread thickly with strawberry jelly. Jelly is the close relative to jam and preserves — jelly is typically more translucent than its fruitier cousins, and is sometimes made with juice rather than whole pieces of fruit. Outside of North America, jelly is a dessert made from gelatin. Jelly comes from the Old French gelee, "jelly" and also "frost," from the verb geler, "to congeal," with its Latin root gelare, "to freeze."

Example Sentences

"Hydrogels resemble jelly, making them difficult to shape," says ETH Professor Qin.

From Science Daily • Mar. 3, 2026

His family continued the business and in 1966 it rose to fame after then-California Gov. Ronald Reagan discovered the flavorful mini jelly beans.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

"I was more nervous than maybe I'd realised for the first run and I felt a little bit like jelly on the block," she said.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

All the other roofing contractors are going to be jelly.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

Valley stuffed the jelly bean fish back into her rucksack, and her face went red.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

Related Words

• gelatin