Jelly: Definition, Examples, and Recipes

Meaning 1：fruit jelly (Jelly)

Jelly 🔊

/ˈdʒɛli/

A sweet, soft food made from fruit juice and sugar that shakes slightly because it is not completely solid.

fruit jelly 🔊

➕

/fruːt ˈdʒɛli/

A sweet, semi-solid food made by boiling fruit juice with sugar and a setting agent like gelatin.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'gelare' meaning to freeze, related to 'gel' and 'gelatin'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think 'gel' (like gelatin) + 'ly' → wobbly sweet treat.

📖 Example

The children's favorite part of the party was the colorful jelly cups with little fruit pieces inside. 🔊 The children's favorite part of the party was the colorful jelly cups with little fruit pieces inside.

🔗 Collocations

jelly dessert – a dessert made with jelly

fruit jelly – jelly flavored with fruit

jelly slice – a thin piece of jelly

🔄 Synonyms

jello (n.) – a brand name for a gelatin-based dessert, often used generically

gelatin dessert (n.) – a dessert made from gelatin, sugar, and flavorings

🌱 Derivatives

jellied (adj.) – preserved or cooked in jelly

jelly-like (adj.) – resembling jelly in texture

📖 Cultural Story

Originated from Latin 'gelare' (freeze). Via Old French 'gelee', it originally meant a frozen meat broth, evolving to fruit-based desserts in Victorian times.