Hypertext Webster Gateway: "bead"

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

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.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

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

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

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

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

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


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