gelatin

or gel·a·tine

[jel-uh-tn]

See more synonyms for gelatin on Thesaurus.com

noun

a nearly transparent, faintly yellow, odorless, and almost tasteless glutinous substance obtained by boiling in water the ligaments, bones, skin, etc., of animals, and forming the basis of jellies, glues, and the like.
any of various similar substances, as vegetable gelatin.
a preparation or product in which such an animal or vegetable substance is the essential constituent.

an edible jelly made of this substance.
Also called gelatin slide. Theater. a thin sheet made of translucent gelatin colored with an aniline dye, placed over stage lights, and used as a color medium in obtaining lighting effects.

Origin of gelatin

1790–1800; < French gélatine < Medieval Latin gelātina, equivalent to Latin gelāt(us) frozen, thickened, past participle of gelāre (gel- freeze + -ātus -ate¹) + -ina -in²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for gelatin

jelly, gelatin, marmalade, sweet, spread, jam, extract, conserve, jell, confiture, pectin, preserve, mass, pulp

Examples from the Web for gelatin

Contemporary Examples of gelatin

After all, the brain is as soft as gelatin, and the body can only do so much to protect it.
What's Really Killing Athletes With Concussions?
Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad
December 26, 2013
Meanwhile, bloom five sheets of gelatin in a bowl of warm water.
Lights, Camera, Cocktails
Brody Brown
August 5, 2011
He heated some oil, stirred in a few sheets of gelatin, let the mixture cool in a baking dish and then sliced it into squares.
Home Ec at Harvard
Laura Colarusso
December 6, 2010
Make the soaking syrup by mixing the coffee, sugar, and gelatin with a wire whisk.
4 Autumnal Desserts
Michel Richard
November 18, 2010
Reduce the heat again, this time to low, and add the gelatin.
A Burgundy Wine Feast
Sophie Menin
July 4, 2010

Historical Examples of gelatin

Medicinal substances may be incorporated with the gelatin mixture.
Essentials of Diseases of the Skin
Henry Weightman Stelwagon
Add the cold water to the gelatin, and let it stand for five minutes.
A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband
Louise Bennett Weaver
We had tombstone for dessert (milk and gelatin flavored with vanilla).
Daddy Long-Legs
Jean Webster
From the bone and also from the connective tissue, gelatin is dissolved in cooking.
Foods and Household Management
Helen Kinne
Tablets of gelatin are impregnated with sulphate of atropia, as above.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II
Arnold Cooley

Word Origin and History for gelatin

see gelatine.

gelatin in Medicine

gelatin

A derived protein formed by boiling collagen of animal tissues.

gelatin in Science

gelatin

[jĕl′ə-tn]

An odorless, colorless protein substance obtained by boiling a mixture of water and the skin, bones, and tendons of animals. The preparation forms a gel when allowed to cool. It is used in foods, drugs, glue, and film.