gelatin
Americannoun
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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.
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any of various similar substances, as vegetable gelatin.
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a preparation or product in which such an animal or vegetable substance is the essential constituent.
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an edible jelly made of this substance.
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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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of gelatin
1790–1800; < French gélatine < Medieval Latin gelātina, equivalent to Latin gelāt ( us ) frozen, thickened, past participle of gelāre ( gel- freeze + -ātus -ate 1 ) + -ina -in 2
Explanation
Gelatin is an edible thickener that's made from finely ground animal bones and tissue. It's gelatin that gives marshmallows and Jell-o their thick, gummy texture. While you're probably familiar with gelatin in gummy bears, candy corn, and other sweets, it's also commonly used in foods like cream cheese, low fat yogurt, and some Chinese dumplings. There are non-food uses for gelatin as well, including glue, medicine, sandpaper, and makeup. Gelatin isn't vegetarian — it's made from animal parts, including bones and connective tissue. Gelatin comes from the French gélatine, "jelly-like substance from animals," and its Latin root meaning "to congeal."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The translucence of Irene’s topmost layer is gorgeously done; so, too, are her insides, which recall the tornado in “The Wizard of Oz” trapped in quivering gelatin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
A smaller percentage also have sensitivity to dairy and have to avoid gelatin and products containing it—including Jell-O, gummy bears and even gelcap pain relievers—as well as medications made in mammalian cells.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
"His moody, meticulously composed silver gelatin portraits shaped how audiences saw stars like Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Dev Anand, Meena Kumari and Dilip Kumar," the curatorial note says.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026
The process relies on carefully controlled streams of thyme extract, gelatin, sodium alginate -- a commonly used thickening agent in the food industry -- and oil.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 17, 2026
The gelatin sometimes proved tricky, depending on how and when it had been mixed.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
It is a mix of sugar, corn syrup, gelatins, gums, colorings and flavorings that include chocolate, licorice, cinnamon, lemon, lime, orange, wintergreen and clove.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2018
The modern winemaker has access to a vast armamentarium of interventions, from supercharged lab-grown yeast, to antimicrobials, antioxidants, acidity regulators and filtering gelatins, all the way up to industrial machines.
From The Guardian ● May 15, 2018
Hans Riegel, a second-generation German confectioner who helped bring the bear-shaped, fruit-flavored gelatins known as gummi bears to candy lovers all over the world, died Oct.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 16, 2013
Cyclamates are also used in puddings, gelatins, salad dressings, jams and jellies, ice cream and practically all diet foods.
From Time Magazine Archive
It may be made by steeping mint leaves in apple jelly or in one of the various kinds of commercial gelatins so popular for making cold fruit puddings.
From Culinary Herbs: Their Cultivation Harvesting Curing and Uses by Kains, M. G. (Maurice Grenville)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
