Jelly
/ˈdʒɛli/noun
A soft, semi-solid food or a quivering substance.
Did you know?English jelly comes through Old French from Latin gelare, meaning “to freeze,” so the word’s oldest meaning is tied to turning liquid into solid — not sweetness.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gel-
“to be cold, freeze”
Latin
Latin
gelāre
“to freeze, congeal”
Latin
Latin
gelum
“frost, ice”
Old French
Old French
gelée
“frozen thing; jelly, fruit preserve”
Middle English
English
jely / gely
“a gelatinous food; a set, semi-solid substance”
Modern English
English
jelly
“a soft, semi-solid food or substance”
Explore more surprising origins