Jellied describes something that has been turned into jelly or has a jelly-like texture: soft, wobbly, and held together by gelatin or a similar substance. When meat broth cools down, it sometimes becomes jellied because natural gelatin from the bones makes it thick and wiggly instead of liquid.

You might encounter jellied cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving dinner, which comes out of the can in a solid shape that jiggles on the plate. Some traditional dishes use jellied meat or fish, where the food is suspended in a clear, savory jelly. In England, a popular dish called jellied eels involves eels served in a firm, gelatinous broth that has cooled and set.

The word can also describe something that has become weak and shaky, like jelly. After running a long race, your legs might feel jellied, barely able to hold you up. When someone is terrified, they might say their knees turned to jelly, meaning they felt wobbly and weak.