Standard Lemma guide

gelatin

noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈd͡ʒɛlətɪn/
  • /ˈd͡ʒɛlətiːn/ less often
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: JH EH1 L AH0 T AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen extracted from animal skin, bones, cartilage, ligaments, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An edible jelly made from this material.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A thin, translucent membrane used as a filter for photography or for theatrical lighting effects.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To coat with gelatin.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a thin translucent membrane used over stage lights for color effects

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gel

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: membrane

6

noun

Meaning 6

an edible jelly (sweet or pungent) made with gelatin and used as a dessert or salad base or a coating for foods

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: jelly

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: dainty, delicacy, goody, kickshaw, treat

Narrower terms: calf's-foot jelly, gelatin dessert, aspic

7

noun

Meaning 7

a colorless water-soluble glutinous protein obtained from animal tissues such as bone and skin

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gelatine

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: scleroprotein, albuminoid

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French gélatine (“jelly, gel”), from Italian gelatina (“jelly, gel”), from gelare (“to freeze”), from Latin gelō (“to freeze”).

Across languages

Translations

75 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: xhelatinë — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Arabic: جِيلَاتِين (jīlātīn) — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Arabic: جِيلَاتِين (jilatīn) — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Bulgarian: желатин (želatin) — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Catalan: gelatina — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Chinese Cantonese: 魚膠 /鱼胶 (jyu4 gaau1) — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Chinese Mandarin: 明膠 /明胶 (míngjiāo) — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Chinese Mandarin: 吉利丁 (jílìdīng) — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Czech: želatina — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Dutch: gelatine — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Finnish: liivate — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Finnish: gelatiini — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • French: gélatine — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Galician: xelatina — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Georgian: ჟელატინი (želaṭini) — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • German: Gelatine — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Greek: ζελατίνη (zelatíni) — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Hungarian: zselatin — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Indonesian: agar — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Irish: geilitín — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Japanese: ゼラチン (zerachin) — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Kazakh: желатин (jelatin) — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Korean: 젤라틴 (jellatin) — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Kyrgyz: желатин (jelatin) — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Māori: tetepe — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Māori: keretini — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Mongolian: царцмаг (carcmag) — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Nahuatl: necuhtlachihchihualpitzac — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Persian: ژلاتین (želâtin) — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Polish: żelatyna — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Portuguese: gelatina — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Romanian: gelatină — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Russian: желати́н (želatín) — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Spanish: gelatina — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Swedish: gelatin — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Thai: เจลาติน (jee-laa-dtin) — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Turkish: jelatin — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Turkmen: gelatin — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Ukrainian: желати́н (želatýn) — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Vietnamese: gelatin — protein derived through partial hydrolysis of the collagen
  • Albanian: xhelatinë — edible jelly
  • Bulgarian: желе (žele) — edible jelly
  • Bulgarian: пелте (pelte) — edible jelly
  • Catalan: gelatina — edible jelly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 果凍 /果冻 (guǒdòng) — edible jelly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 啫喱 (zhělí) — edible jelly
  • Dutch: gelatine — edible jelly
  • Esperanto: gelateno — edible jelly
  • Finnish: liivate — edible jelly
  • Georgian: ჟელატინი (želaṭini) — edible jelly
  • German: Gelatine — edible jelly
  • Greek: ζελατίνη (zelatíni) — edible jelly
  • Gujarati: સરેશ (sareś) — edible jelly
  • Hawaiian: ʻūnina — edible jelly
  • Irish: geilitín — edible jelly
  • Kazakh: желатин (jelatin) — edible jelly
  • Polish: żelatyna — edible jelly
  • Portuguese: gelatina — edible jelly
  • Romanian: gelatină — edible jelly
  • Russian: желати́н (želatín) — edible jelly
  • Spanish: gelatina — edible jelly
  • Swedish: gelatin — edible jelly
  • Tagalog: helatina — edible jelly
  • Thai: เจลาติน (jee-laa-dtin) — edible jelly
  • Thai: เยลลี — edible jelly
  • Thai: เจลลี — edible jelly
  • Turkish: jöle — edible jelly
  • Ottoman Turkish: پختی (pıhtı) — edible jelly
  • Ukrainian: желати́н (želatýn) — edible jelly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 濾色片 /滤色片 — translucent membrane
  • Chinese Mandarin: 色片 — translucent membrane
  • Finnish: gelatiini — translucent membrane
  • Portuguese: gelatina — translucent membrane
  • Spanish: gelatina — translucent membrane
  • Turkish: jelatin — translucent membrane
Real reading context

gelatin in complete knowledge articles