a small ball, e.g. of wood or glass, pierced for threading on a string or wire
(in pl)
a rosary
a series of prayers and meditations made with a rosary
a small ball-shaped body, esp a drop of liquid
a small metal knob on a firearm used as a front sight
a projecting rim, band, or moulding, e.g. on a door
draw a bead on
to take aim at
beaded adj
beading noun
Middle English bede prayer, prayer bead, from Old English bed, gebed prayer; related to Old English biddan bid1. The development of this word has taken it a long way from its original meaning ‘prayer’, a sense now surviving only in the compounds beadsman and beadroll. In the 14th cent. it was transferred to one of the small balls on a string that were used for counting prayers; in the 15th cent. the meaning was broadened to include ornamental beads, and various extended uses, e.g. a drop of liquid, followed