BEAD • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Bead

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noun

Bead n.

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."

(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.

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.

verb

Bead v. t. (past & past part. beaded; pres. part. beading) To ornament with beads or beading.

Bead v. i. To form beadlike bubbles.

See images of 'Bead'

Etymology of 'Bead'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Bead" Quotes from Famous Books

... into the tree above the giant's head—their scalping-knives being the only weapons retained about their persons. The giant, a savage of terrible aspect, was dressed in complete Indian costume—his robe being richly decorated with bead-work and stained porcupine quills, and where it showed a seam or border was fringed with scalp-locks, brown, flaxen, and red, as well as black—taken by his own hand from the heads of his enemies—the last agony, doubtless, as ...

— Burl • Morrison Heady

... green, blue, pink, red, brown, and so forth, some plain and some ribbed. Some are streaked with brilliant hues. The beads are perforated, and in the Highlands of Scotland the hole is explained by saying that when the bead has just been conflated by the serpents jointly, one of the reptiles sticks his tail through the still viscous glass. An Englishman who visited Scotland in 1699 found many of these beads in use throughout the country. They were hung from children's necks to protect them from whooping cough ...

— Balder The Beautiful, Vol. I. • Sir James George Frazer

... vote for the doorkeeper: it came out first, and the doorkeeper wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. But soon he smiled again; the other four were all for Gaspard, who returned thanks for the honour in ...

— Half a Hero - A Novel • Anthony Hope

... downright of all the Forsytes, June, with her decided chin and her spirited eyes and her hair like flame, sat down, slight and short, on a gilt chair with a bead-worked seat, for all the world as if ten years had not elapsed since she had been to see them—ten years of travel and independence and devotion to lame ducks. Those ducks of late had been all definitely painters, etchers, or sculptors, so that ...

— Forsyte Saga • John Galsworthy

... globe dean craze creed tribe drone bean shape steep brine stone bead state sleek spire probe beam crape fleet bride shore lean fume smite blame clear mope spume spite flame drear mold fluke quite slate blear tore flume whine spade spear robe ...

— McGuffey's Eclectic Spelling Book • W. H. McGuffey

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