jelly

1 of 3

noun

jel·​ly ˈje-lē How to pronounce jelly (audio)
plural jellies
1
: a soft somewhat elastic food product made usually with gelatin or pectin
especially : a fruit product made by boiling sugar and the juice of fruit
2
: a substance resembling jelly in consistency
3
4
: a state of fear or irresolution
5
: a shapeless structureless mass : pulp
jellylike adjective

jelly

2 of 3

verb

jellied; jellying

intransitive verb

1
: jell
2
: to make jelly

transitive verb

: to bring to the consistency of jelly

jelly

3 of 3

adjective

slang
: jealous
"I'm jelly," declared Jon Osborne of Pardi's white, sparkly jacket, complete with flowers …Taylor Weatherby

Examples of jelly in a Sentence

Noun a selection of different jellies and jams He spread some jelly on his toast. a jar of grape jelly a peanut butter and jelly sandwich a meat glaze made with stock and jelly Verb this fruit juice is taking longer to jelly than I expected
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Once opened, all jams and jellies should be refrigerated to prevent them from spoiling. Maggie Gillette, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Jan. 2025 While opening dates and hours vary, some are open year-round and several spring to life in April, offering fresh produce, handmade items and gourmet accoutrements such as jams and jellies. Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 9 Jan. 2025
Verb
The depths are a swirl of tapioca, agar-agar and basil seeds like a hundred tiny eyes, jellied on the outside with a crunch within. Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 24 May 2018 From here, the longest run in the region is a leg-jellying 15 kilometer, 2,000-meter descent back down to Gaislachkogl. CNN, 26 Oct. 2017
Adjective
So peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a good substitute for that. Janet W. Lee, NPR, 11 Jan. 2025 Xavier McKinney loved peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as a kid, but only under one condition. Matt Schneidman, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for jelly 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English gelly, from Anglo-French gelee, from feminine of gelé, past participle of geler to freeze, congeal, from Latin gelare — more at cold

Adjective

jeal(ous) + -y entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1590, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Adjective

1931, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jelly was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near jelly

Cite this Entry

“Jelly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jelly. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

jelly

1 of 2 noun
jel·​ly ˈjel-ē How to pronounce jelly (audio)
plural jellies
1
: a food with a soft elastic consistency due usually to gelatin or pectin
especially : a fruit product made by boiling sugar and the juice of fruit
2
: a substance resembling jelly
jellylike adjective

jelly

2 of 2 verb
jellied; jellying

Medical Definition

jelly

noun
jel·​ly ˈjel-ē How to pronounce jelly (audio)
plural jellies
1
: a soft somewhat elastic food product made usually with gelatin or pectin
especially : a fruit product made by boiling sugar and the juice of fruit
2
: a substance resembling jelly in consistency: as
a
: a transparent elastic gel
b
: a semisolid medicated or cosmetic preparation often having a gum base and usually intended for local application
ephedrine jelly
c
: a jellylike preparation used in electrocardiography to obtain better conduction of electricity
electrode jelly

More from Merriam-Webster on jelly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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