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definitions

jell

[jel]
See more synonyms for jell on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object)
  1. to congeal; become jellylike in consistency.
  2. to become clear, substantial, or definite; crystallize: The plan began to jell once we all met to discuss it.
verb (used with object)
  1. to cause to jell.

Origin of jell

First recorded in 1820–30; back formation from jelly
Related formshalf-jelled, adjectiveun·jelled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for jell

materialize, crystallize, stiffen, thicken, set, finalize, form, condense, freeze, harden, jelly, congeal, solidify, clot, cohere, stick, gelatinize, jellify, gel

Examples from the Web for jell

Historical Examples of jell

  • But Gwenny never had any cookies as good as those, and the jell is so pretty!

    The Girl Scouts at Home

    Katherine Keene Galt

  • She came back again and said, "Won't you have some of the jell, Mr. Armstrong?"

    Mitch Miller

    Edgar Lee Masters

  • There was a jar of jelly on the table all sealed up, and she said, "Won't you have some of the jell?"

    Mitch Miller

    Edgar Lee Masters

  • Why, there isn't an inch of me that hasn't been cut over or smashed into a jell.

    Suburban Sketches

    William Dean Howells

  • Cook slowly until juice will "jell" when tried on a cold plate.

British Dictionary definitions for jell

jell

gel

verb jells, jelling, jelled, gels, gelling or gelled
  1. to make or become gelatinous; congeal
  2. (intr) to assume definite formhis ideas have jelled
noun
  1. US an informal word for jelly 1

Word Origin for jell

C19: back formation from jelly 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for jell
v.

1830, American English, probably a back-formation of jelly (v.). Related: Jelled; jelling. Figurative sense is first attested 1908. Middle English had gelen "congeal," but it disappeared 15c.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper