• Original language: English, from French gélatine, ultimately from Latin gelare 'to freeze' (cf. jelly from Old French gelée) *[1]
  • Original form and meaning: gel, noun, 1.) 'a semi-solid colloidal solution or jelly of a solid dispersed in liquid', 2.) 'a jelly-like substance used for setting the hair'


(Note: If the status is not specifically indicated then the word is stylistically neutral and generally used; if earlier meaning and status equals current use the former may be expressed by writing "dito". Cf. also the project guidelines.)


Language Form Date of Borrowing (and Obsolescence) Current Meaning and Status Earlier Meanings and Statusses Source
Catalan ... ... '...' '...' ...
Croatian gel ? from French DEA*
Czech ... ... '...' '...' ...
Danish ... ... '...' '...' ...
Dutch gel [∫εl] 1980s meaning 1; status: fully accepted but still marked as English dito DEA*
English gel [dƷεl] 19c see above abbreviation of gelatin(e), from French gélatine, from Medieval Latin gelātina, from Latin gelāre 'to freeze' Collins English Dictionary (4th ed.); DEA*; CODEE**
Estonian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Finnish geeli ? meaning 1; status: not (or no longer) recognized as English dito DEA*
French gel ? meaning 1 and 2; status: native (gélatine) DEA*
Frisian ... ... '...' '...' ...
German Gel [ge:l] (in German-speaking Switzerland [ž(h)e:l]) end20c meaning 1 and 2; status: not (or no longer) recognized as English DEA*
Hungarian gel via German meaning 1 and 2 DEA*
Irish ... ... '...' '...' ...
Italian gel [= English] mid20c meaning 1 and 2; status: not (or no longer) recognized as English DEA*
Latvian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Lithuanian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Maltese ... ... '...' '...' ...
Norwegian gel [ge:l/gel] 1980s meaning 1 and 2; status: restricted to technical use, less frequent than gelé DEA*
Polish ... from French '...' '...' DEA*
Portuguese ... ... '...' '...' ...
Rumantsch ... ... '...' '...' ...
Slovak ... ... '...' '...' ...
Slovenian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Spanish gel [xel] mid20c meaning 1 and 2; status: not (or no longer) recognized as English/from French DEA*
Swedish ... ... '...' '...' ...
  • Annotations: *DEA = Dictionary of European Anglicisms by Manfred Görlach (2001), Oxford: OUP.; **CODEE = The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology by T.F. Hoad (1986), Oxford: Clarendon.


  • Information on Other Languages: Albanian: -gel, schel, 20c; meaning 1 and 2; status: fully accepted but still marked as English. Greek: tzel, zele, zel; 1980s; via French; meaning 1 and 2; status: fully accepted but still marked as English. Icelandic: gel [cε:l]; 1980s; meaning 2; status: fully accepted but still marked as English. Romanian: gel [= Engl. pron.]; mid20c; meaning 1 and 2; from French/Italian. Russian: gel; end20c; meaning 1 and 2; status: not (or no longer) recognized as English. Bulgarian: gel; mid 20c; via German; meaning 1 and 2; status: not (or no longer) recognized as English.,