noun / verb

jelly

JEL-ee/ˈdʒeli/

A soft semi-solid substance formed by setting a liquid.

Smooth grape jelly spreads over the toast beside the open jar.

An open jar of smooth, translucent grape jelly beside toast spread with the same glossy jelly, with a butter knife carrying a soft dollop and a small cluster of grapes identifying the fruit.

Etymology

The connection is to congealing: liquid becoming semisolid. Jelly originally named various set food substances; the sweet-spread sense developed when the word came to describe thickened fruit juice.

In context

Daniel DeBrocke | Fit Executive's Coach38:45

if you're having like a sandwich can you put some you know some jelly on that sandwich you know that's something that's going to be um you know potentially higher in sugar

#61 Dr Gabrielle Fundaro - Digestion, Bloating, And Upset Stomach

More examples

The stock forms a soft jelly in the refrigerator.
These grape and currant jellies contain no seeds.
The fruit mixture jellies as it cools.

Forms

jelly · jellies · jellied · jellying

Similar words

gel: Gel commonly describes nonfood semisolid materials as well as foods.
jam: Jam contains crushed fruit, while fruit jelly uses strained juice.