jell-o

IPA/ˈdʒel.əʊ/
IPA/ˈdʒel.oʊ/

jell-o — noun

1. an American brand of sweet, fruit-flavoured dessert made by mixing a powder with

1.nounB1
Definition

an American brand of sweet, fruit-flavoured dessert made by mixing a powder with hot water and letting it cool; the finished dessert is soft, brightly coloured, and wobbles when you touch the bowl.

Example

Sayaka stirred the red powder into hot water to make strawberry Jell-O for the picnic.

make + flavour + Jell-O for [event]

The children laughed as the green Jell-O wobbled on their plates at Gabriel's birthday party.

the [colour] Jell-O wobbled — describing visible movement

Common collocations
  • strawberry Jell-O
  • lime Jell-O
  • Jell-O mould
  • Jell-O salad
  • make Jell-O
Synonyms
  • gelatin dessert

    the generic, untrademarked term used in food labelling and recipes

  • jelly

    the everyday British English equivalent for the same wobbly dessert

Grammar Patterns

a bowl of Jell-O

make Jell-O

Usage Note

Capitalised because it is a registered American trademark, but speakers in the United States use the word generically for any similar gelatin dessert. British speakers say 'jelly' for the same food.

Common Mistakes

I bought a Jell-O at the supermarket.
I bought a packet of Jell-O at the supermarket.
Jell-O is uncountable; buy it by packet, box, or bowl, not as 'a Jell-O'.
In Britain we love eating Jell-O for tea.
In Britain we love eating jelly for tea.
Jell-O is the American word; British speakers say 'jelly' for the same dessert.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These three terms point at the same wobbly, sweet, fruit-flavoured dessert, but they live in different parts of the English-speaking world. 'Jell-O' is a brand name (Kraft Heinz) that Americans use generically — much the way 'Kleenex' stands in for any tissue. In American English, 'jelly' instead refers to a clear fruit spread you put on toast, never to the dessert. British speakers reverse this: 'jelly' is the dessert, and what Americans call 'jelly' (the spread) is called 'jam' in Britain. 'Gelatin dessert' is the neutral, untrademarked term you see on food packaging and in cookbooks when the writer wants to avoid favouring one brand. Practical use: an American invites friends over for 'lime Jell-O'; a Briton serves the children 'strawberry jelly'; a recipe book lists ingredients for a 'lemon gelatin dessert'.

Jell-O ↗jelly ↗gelatin dessert

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Jell-O mould
  • Jell-O salad
  • Jell-O shot
  • Jell-O cup

Phrases

  • a packet of Jell-O
  • a bowl of Jell-O
  • lime/strawberry/cherry Jell-O
  • make Jell-O
  • Jell-O set in the fridge

Prepositions

  • Jell-O with [fruit/cream]
  • Jell-O in a mould

Etymology

English (American trademark, coined 1897)

Jell-O is a registered American trademark coined in 1897 by Pearle Bixby Wait of LeRoy, New York, who combined the word 'jelly' with the then-fashionable suffix '-O' (also seen in brand names like 'Oreo'). The brand has been owned by several large food companies and is now part of Kraft Heinz. In the United States the name has become so familiar that speakers use it generically for any gelatin dessert, even competitor brands.