Gelatinous
/dʒəˈlætɪnəs/noun
Having the consistency of jelly or a jelly-like substance.
Did you know?Gelatinous ultimately comes from Latin *gelatus* (“frozen, congealed”), from *gelare* (“to freeze”), so the word’s deepest ancestor is about turning liquid into solid, not about slime at all.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
gelare
“to freeze, congeal”
Latin
Latin
gelatus
“frozen, congealed”
Late Latin
Late Latin
gelatina
“a jelly-like substance”
Middle French
French
gélatine
“gelatin, jelly”
18th Century
English
gelatin
“a substance obtained from collagen and used to make jelly”
19th Century
English
gelatinous
“jelly-like; having the consistency of gelatin”