# Jellyby

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A philanthropist who cares only for people in distant regions, or people away from their own household.

## Etymology
After the character of Mrs Jellyby in Charles Dickens' novel Bleak House (1852), who busies herself with charity work for Africa while her own household goes to ruin.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/jellyby