Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A soft, semisolid food substance with a resilient consistency, made by the setting of a liquid containing pectin or gelatin or by the addition of gelatin to a liquid, especially such a substance made of fruit juice containing pectin boiled with sugar.
  • noun Something, such as a petroleum ointment, having the consistency of a soft, semisolid food substance.
  • noun A shapeless, pulpy mass.
  • noun Something, such as a body part, that has suddenly become limp or enervated.
  • noun A jellyfish.
  • noun A jelly sandal.
  • intransitive verb To cause to have the consistency of jelly.
  • intransitive verb To acquire the consistency of jelly.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A viscous or glutinous substance obtained by solution of gelatinous matter, animal or vegetable; hence, any substance of semisolid consistence.
  • noun The thickened juice of fruit, or any gelatinous substance, prepared for food: as, currant or guava jelly; calf's-foot jelly; meat jelly.
  • noun A mixture of gelatin and glycerin, used as a medium for mounting microscopic objects.
  • Excellent of its kind; worthy.
  • noun A jellyfish, as Aurelia or Cyanea.
  • To make a jelly of; reduce to the consistence of jelly.
  • To solidify or congeal; become a jelly.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Anything brought to a gelatinous condition; a viscous, translucent substance in a condition between liquid and solid; a stiffened solution of gelatin, gum, or the like.
  • noun The juice of fruits or meats boiled with sugar to an elastic consistence
  • noun a bag through which the material for jelly is strained.
  • noun a mold for forming jelly in ornamental shapes.
  • noun (Bot.) Australian name of an edible seaweed (Eucheuma speciosum), from which an excellent jelly is made.
  • noun an explosive, composed of nitroglycerin and collodion cotton; -- so called from its resemblance to calf's-foot jelly.
  • intransitive verb To become jelly; to come to the state or consistency of jelly.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun New Zealand, Australia, UK A dessert made by boiling gelatine, sugar and some flavouring (often derived from fruit) and allowing it to set
  • noun A clear or translucent fruit preserve, made from fruit juice and set using either naturally occurring, or added, pectin
  • noun zoology Short for jellyfish.
  • noun slang A pretty girl; a girlfriend.
  • noun US, slang A large backside, especially a woman's.
  • noun colloquial Short for gelignite.
  • noun colloquial A jelly shoe.
  • verb To wiggle like jelly.
  • verb To make jelly.
  • adjective slang Jealous.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun any substance having the consistency of jelly or gelatin
  • noun an edible jelly (sweet or pungent) made with gelatin and used as a dessert or salad base or a coating for foods
  • noun a preserve made of the jelled juice of fruit
  • verb make into jelly

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English gelee, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *gelāta, from Latin, feminine past participle of gelāre, to freeze; see gel- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Old French gelee, from geler ("to congeal"), from Latin gelū.

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Examples

  • Bur anyhow, apple pectin jelly is very easy to make, not at all elaborate, and has many other uses.

    How to Make Apple Pectin Jelly Lindy 2006

  • Since I intend to make the apples into a supply of apple pectin jelly, I will not be wanting to do a lot more cooking until after next weekend, when the the jelly is (I hope) finished.

    Minestrone for Days on End Lindy 2006

  • Bur anyhow, apple pectin jelly is very easy to make, not at all elaborate, and has many other uses.

    Toast: Lindy 2006

  • Since I intend to make the apples into a supply of apple pectin jelly, I will not be wanting to do a lot more cooking until after next weekend, when the the jelly is (I hope) finished.

    Toast: Lindy 2006

  • He brings her water and miniature corn muffins, halved open and spread with bright green pepper jelly from a glass jar she's kept all these years.

    Featherbedding Rae Bryant 2010

  • For example, demand for mint jelly is down because there is a shortage of lamb.

    Matthew Yglesias » Macro Rap 2010

  • If jelly is too expensive, one can always try this (which is probably an even better counter-cyclical asset).

    The ultimate counter-cyclical asset? 2009

  • For example, demand for mint jelly is down because there is a shortage of lamb.

    Matthew Yglesias » Macro Rap 2010

  • And jelly is silly, sticky, and hardly worth your time if you are an adult.

    Here's a sentence I never thought I would write: wendigomountain 2009

  • Reads like a support group for people who saw Avatar and are depressed because they can't actually be Na'vi and live on beautiful, peaceful Pandora ... where a Hammerhead Titanothere would stomp them into thin jelly within six seconds.

    "The mental and diva's hands..." greygirlbeast 2010

Comments

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  • See citation on spoon-based.

    January 13, 2009