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. [1913 Webster]
The juice of fruits or meats boiled with sugar to an elastic consistence; as, currant jelly; calf's-foot jelly. [1913 Webster]

Jelly bag, a bag through which the material for jelly is strained. -- Jelly mold, a mold for forming jelly in ornamental shapes. -- Jelly plant (Bot.), Australian name of an edible seaweed (Eucheuma speciosum), from which an excellent jelly is made. J. Smith. -- Jelly powder, an explosive, composed of nitroglycerin and collodion cotton; -- so called from its resemblance to calf's-foot jelly.

jelly, v. i.

To become jelly; to come to the state or consistency of jelly. [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

jelly, n. & v.
--n. (pl. -ies)
1 a a soft stiffish semi-transparent preparation of boiled sugar and fruit-juice or milk etc., often cooled in a mould and eaten as a dessert. b a similar preparation of fruit-juice etc. for use as a jam or a condiment (redcurrant jelly). c a similar preparation derived from meat, bones, etc., and gelatin (marrowbone jelly).
2 any substance of a similar consistency.
3 Brit. sl. gelignite (cf. GELLY).
--v. (-ies, -ied)
1 intr. & tr. set or cause to set as a jelly, congeal.
2 tr. set (food) in a jelly (jellied eels).

Idiom

jelly baby Brit. a jelly-like sweet in the stylized shape of a baby. jelly bag a bag for straining juice for jelly. jelly bean a jelly-like sweet in the shape of a bean.

Derivative

jelly-like adj.

Etymology

ME f. OF gelee frost, jelly, f. Rmc gelata f. L gelare freeze f. gelu frost

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THESAURUS

jelly

Jell-O, albumen, batter, beat up, blancmange, bonnyclabber, butter, cake, candy, churn, clabber, clot, clump, cluster, coagulate, colloid, colloidize, comfit, compote, concrete, confection, confectionery, confiture, congeal, conserve, cornstarch, cream, curd, curdle, dough, egg white, emulsify, emulsionize, frosting, gaum, gel, gelatin, gelatinate, gelatinize, glair, glaze, glop, glue, gluten, goo, gook, goop, gruel, gumbo, gunk, honey, icing, incrassate, inspissate, jam, jell, jellify, knot, loblolly, lopper, lump, marmalade, meringue, molasses, mousse, mucilage, mucus, pap, paste, porridge, preserve, pudding, pulp, puree, putty, rob, semifluid, semiliquid, set, size, soup, starch, sticky mess, sweet, sweet stuff, sweetmeat, sweets, syrup, thick, thicken, treacle, tutti-frutti, whip, whipped cream

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ROGET THESAURUS

jelly

Semiliquidity

N semiliquidity, stickiness, viscidity, viscosity, gummosity, glutinosity, mucosity, spissitude, crassitude, lentor, adhesiveness, inspissation, incrassation, thickening, jelly, mucilage, gelatin, gluten, carlock, fish glue, ichthyocol, ichthycolla, isinglass, mucus, phlegm, goo, pituite, lava, glair, starch, gluten, albumen, milk, cream, protein, treacle, gum, size, glue (tenacity), wax, beeswax, emulsion, soup, squash, mud, slush, slime, ooze, moisture, marsh, semifluid, semiliquid, tremellose, half melted, half frozen, milky, muddy, lacteal, lactean, lacteous, lactescent, lactiferous, emulsive, curdled, thick, succulent, uliginous, gelatinous, albuminous, mucilaginous, glutinous, glutenous, gelatin, mastic, amylaceous, ropy, clammy, clotted, viscid, viscous, sticky, tacky, gooey, slab, slabby, lentous, pituitous, mucid, muculent, mucous, gummy.

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