Adjacent Words

Bead definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BEAD, n.
1. A little perforated ball, to be strung on a thread, and worn about the neck, for ornament. A string of beads is called a necklace. Beads are made of gold, pearl, amber, steel, garnet, coral, diamond, crystal, pastes, glasses, etc. The Romanists use strings of beads in rehearsing their prayers. Hence the phrase, to tell beads, and to be at one's beads, is to be at prayer.
2. Any small globular body; hence the glass globules, used in traffic with savages, and sold in strings, are called beads; also a bubble on spirit.
3. In architecture, a round molding, commonly made upon the edge of a piece of stuff, in the Corinthian and Roman orders,cut or carved in short embossments, like beads in necklaces.of beads, is a charge given by a priest to his parishioners, to repeat certain pater-nosters upon their beads for a departed soul.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a small ball with a hole through the middle
2: a shape that is spherical and small; "he studied the shapes of low-viscosity drops"; "beads of sweat on his forehead" [syn: drop, bead, pearl]
3: a beaded molding for edging or decorating furniture [syn: beading, bead, beadwork, astragal] v
1: form into beads, as of water or sweat, for example
2: decorate by sewing beads onto; "bead the wedding gown"
3: string together like beads

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English bede prayer, prayer bead, from Old English bed, gebed prayer; akin to Old English biddan to entreat, pray — more at bid Date: before 12th century 1. a. obsolete prayer — usually used in plural b. plural a series of prayers and meditations made with a rosary 2. a small piece of material pierced for threading on a string or wire (as in a rosary) 3. plural a. rosary b. a necklace of beads or pearls 4. a small ball-shaped body: as a. a drop of sweat or blood b. a bubble formed in or on a beverage c. a small metal knob on a firearm used as a front sight d. a blob or a line of weld metal 5. a projecting rim, band, or molding 6. a precise knowledge or understanding — used in such phrases as get a bead on II. verb Date: 1577 transitive verb 1. to furnish, adorn, or cover with beads or beading 2. to string together like beads intransitive verb to form into a bead • beader noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a a small usu. rounded and perforated piece of glass, stone, etc., for threading with others to make jewellery, or sewing on to fabric, etc. b (in pl.) a string of beads; a rosary. 2 a drop of liquid; a bubble. 3 a small knob in the foresight of a gun. 4 the inner edge of a pneumatic tyre that grips the rim of the wheel. 5 Archit. a a moulding like a series of beads. b a narrow moulding with a semicircular cross-section. --v. 1 tr. furnish or decorate with beads. 2 tr. string together. 3 intr. form or grow into beads. Phrases and idioms: draw a bead on take aim at. tell one's beads use the beads of a rosary etc. in counting prayers. Derivatives: beaded adj. Etymology: orig. = 'prayer' (for which the earliest use of beads arose): OE gebed f. Gmc, rel. to BID

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bead Bead, n. [OE. bede prayer, prayer bead, AS. bed, gebed, prayer; akin to D. bede, G. bitte, AS. biddan, to ask, bid, G. bitten to ask, and perh. to Gr. ? to persuade, L. fidere to trust. Beads are used by the Roman Catholics to count their prayers, one bead being dropped down a string every time a prayer is said. Cf. Sp. cuenta bead, fr. contar to count. See Bid, in to bid beads, and Bide.] 1. A prayer. [Obs.] 2. A little perforated ball, to be strung on a thread, and worn for ornament; or used in a rosary for counting prayers, as by Roman Catholics and Mohammedans, whence the phrases to tell beads, to at one's beads, to bid beads, etc., meaning, to be at prayer. 3. Any small globular body; as, (a) A bubble in spirits. (b) A drop of sweat or other liquid. ``Cold beads of midnight dew.'' --Wordsworth. (c) A small knob of metal on a firearm, used for taking aim (whence the expression to draw a bead, for, to take aim). (d) (Arch.) A small molding of rounded surface, the section being usually an arc of a circle. It may be continuous, or broken into short embossments. (e) (Chem.) A glassy drop of molten flux, as borax or microcosmic salt, used as a solvent and color test for several mineral earths and oxides, as of iron, manganese, etc., before the blowpipe; as, the borax bead; the iron bead, etc. Bead and butt (Carp.), framing in which the panels are flush, having beads stuck or run upon the two edges. --Knight. Beat mold, a species of fungus or mold, the stems of which consist of single cells loosely jointed together so as to resemble a string of beads. [Written also bead mould.] Bead tool, a cutting tool, having an edge curved so as to make beads or beading. Bead tree (Bot.), a tree of the genus Melia, the best known species of which (M. azedarach), has blue flowers which are very fragrant, and berries which are poisonous.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bead Bead, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Beading.] To ornament with beads or beading.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bead Bead, v. i. To form beadlike bubbles.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(beads) 1. Beads are small pieces of coloured glass, wood, or plastic with a hole through the middle. Beads are often put together on a piece of string or wire to make jewellery. ...a string of beads. N-COUNT: usu pl 2. A bead of liquid or moisture is a small drop of it. ...beads of blood... He wiped away the beads of sweat on his forehead. N-COUNT: usu N of n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Globule, pellet (perforated for stringing). 2. Drop, droplet, pearly drop, bubble, blob. 3. Moulding, astragal. II. v. a. 1. Mould, decorate with a moulding. 2. Deck with beads, raise into beads.

Moby Thesaurus

anklet, armlet, ball, balloon, bangle, beads, bejewel, beribbon, bespangle, bijou, bracelet, breastpin, brooch, chain, chaplet, charm, chatelaine, circle, conglobulate, coronet, crown, dewdrop, diadem, diamond, drop, droplet, earring, engrave, feather, figure, filigree, flag, flounce, flower, fob, garland, gem, globe, illuminate, jewel, locket, mushroom, necklace, nose ring, paint, pearl, pin, plume, precious stone, raindrop, rhinestone, ribbon, ring, snowball, spangle, sphere, spherify, stickpin, stone, teardrop, tiara, tinsel, torque, wampum, wreathe, wristband, wristlet