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Webster 1913 Edition

Bead

Bead

(bēd)
,
Noun.
[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.
πείθειν
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 Muslims, whence the phrases
to tell beads
,
to be 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.
–
Bead 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 (
Melia azedarach
), has blue flowers which are very fragrant, and berries which are poisonous.

Bead

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Beaded
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Beading
.]
To ornament with beads or beading.

Bead

,
Verb.
I.
To form beadlike bubbles.

Webster 1828 Edition

Bead

BEAD

,
Noun.
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, &c. 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.

Definition 2024

bead

bead

English

Beads

Noun

bead ‎(plural beads)

  1. (archaic) Prayer, later especially with a rosary. [from 9thc.]
  2. Each in a string of small balls making up the rosary or paternoster. [from 14thc.]
  3. A small round object.
    1. A small round object with a hole to allow it to be threaded on a cord or wire. [from 15thc.]
    2. A small round solid object.
      • 2013 May-June, Charles T. Ambrose, “Alzheimer’s Disease”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 200:
        Similar studies of rats have employed four different intracranial resorbable, slow sustained release systems—surgical foam, a thermal gel depot, a microcapsule or biodegradable polymer beads.
    3. A small drop of water or other liquid. [from 16thc.]
      beads of sweat‎
    4. A bubble, in spirits.
    5. A small round ball at the end of a barrel of a gun used for aiming.
      She drew a bead on the target and fired.‎
      • 1879, Richard Jefferies, The Amateur Poacher, chapter1:
        But then I had the [massive] flintlock by me for protection. ¶ […] The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window […], and a 'bead' could be drawn upon Molly, the dairymaid, kissing the fogger behind the hedge, little dreaming that the deadly tube was levelled at them.
  4. (heading) A ridge, band, or molding.
    1. A rigid edge of a tire that mounts it on a wheel; tire bead. [from 20thc.]
  5. A knowledge sufficient to direct one's activities to a purpose.
    We now have a bead on the main technical issues for the project‎
  6. (chemistry, dated) 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.
    the borax bead;  the iron bead, etc.‎
  7. Front sight of a gun.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

bead ‎(third-person singular simple present beads, present participle beading, simple past and past participle beaded)

  1. (intransitive) To form into a bead.
    The raindrops beaded on the car's waxed finish.
  2. (transitive) To apply beads to.
    She spent the morning beading the gown.
  3. (transitive) To form into a bead.
    He beaded some solder for the ends of the wire.
  4. (transitive) To cause beads to form on (something).
    • 1941, Emily Carr, Klee Wyck, "Greenville,"
      Only the hum of the miserable creatures stirred the heavy murk that beaded our foreheads with sweat as we pushed our way through it.

Anagrams

Hungarian

Etymology

be- +‎ ad

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈbɛɒd]
  • Hyphenation: be‧ad

Verb

bead

  1. (transitive) to hand in
    beadja a felmondását‎ ― to hand in one's notice
  2. (transitive) to give (medicine to someone)
  3. (transitive) to submit, to present (a request)
  4. (transitive) to file (a petition)

Conjugation

Derived terms

  • beadás

(Expressions):

Irish

Verb

bead

  1. first-person singular future of bí
    Bead anseo nuair a thiocfaidh tú ar ais.‎
    I will be here when you come back.

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
bead bhead mbead
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Old English

Pronunciation

Verb

bēad

  1. third-person singular preterite of bēodan
  2. third-person singular preterite of bēodan

Etymology

From Middle English bede ‎(“a prayer", also (in a peire of bedes ‎(“a pair of beads”)) "a bead for counting prayers”), from Old English bedu, bed, ġebed ‎(“a request, entreaty, prayer”), from Proto-Germanic *bedō, *bedą, *gabedą ‎(“plea, prayer”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰedʰ- ‎(“to ask, beg”). Cognate with Dutch bede and gebed ‎(“a prayer”) German Gebet ‎(“a prayer”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /biːd/
  • Rhymes: -iːd
  • IPA(key): /bæːad/

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