What is "bead"

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

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

Bead \Bead\ (b[=e]d), 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. pei`qein 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 be at one's beads,

   to bid beads, etc., meaning, to be at prayer.

3. Any small globular body; as,

   1. A bubble in spirits.

   2. A drop of sweat or other liquid. ``Cold beads of midnight dew.''
      --Wordsworth.

   3. A small knob of metal on a firearm, used for taking aim (whence the expression to draw a bead, for, to take aim).

   4. (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.

   5. (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.

1570s, "to adorn with beads," from bead (n.). Meaning "to string like beads" is from 1883. Related: Beaded; beading.

mid-14c., bede "prayer bead," from Old English gebed "prayer," with intensive or collective prefix *ge- + Proto-Germanic *bidam "entreaty" (cognates: Middle Dutch bede, Old High German beta, German bitte, Gothic bida "prayer, request"), from PIE *gwhedh- "to ask, pray."\n

\nShift in meaning came via beads threaded on a string to count prayers, and in phrases like to bid one's beads, to count one's beads. German cognate Bitte is the usual word for conversational request "please." Also related to bid (Old English biddan) and Gothic bidjan "to ask, pray." Sense transferred to "drop of liquid" 1590s; to "small knob forming front sight of a gun" 1831 (Kentucky slang); hence draw a bead on "take aim at," 1841, U.S. colloquial.

n. 1 (lb en archaic) prayer, later especially with a rosary. (from 9^thc.) 2 Each in a string of small balls making up the rosary or paternoster. (from 14^thc.) 3 A small round object. 4 #A small round object with a hole to allow it to be threaded on a cord or wire. (from 15^thc.) 5 #A small round solid object. vb. 1 (context intransitive English) To form into a bead. 2 (context transitive English) To apply beads to. 3 (context transitive English) To form into a bead.

1. n. 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]

1. v. 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

A bead is a small, decorative object that is formed in a variety of shapes and sizes of a material such as stone, bone, shell, glass, plastic, wood or pearl and that a small hole is drilled for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under to over in diameter. A pair of beads made from Nassarius sea snail shells, approximately 100,000 years old, are thought to be the earliest known examples of jewellery/jewelry. Beadwork is the art or craft of making things with beads. Beads can be woven together with specialized thread, strung onto thread or soft, flexible wire, or adhered to a surface (e.g. fabric, clay).

A bead is a woodworking decorative treatment applied to various elements of wooden furniture, boxes and other items.

A bead is typically a rounded shape cut into a square edge to soften the edge and provide some protection against splitting. Beads can be simple round shapes, or more complex patterns.

A bead may be created with an electric router, a special moulding handplane or a scratch stock. Beads are usually cut directly into the edge of the item to which the bead is being applied. However, beads applied across the grain are usually cut into a separate piece which is then fixed in position.

A bead is also an important design element in wood turning, a ring-shape or convex curve incised into a piece by the use of a chisel or skew.

A bead is a decorative object.

Bead may also refer to:

• Bead (woodworking)
• Beadwork, an ornament or utensil made from beads
• Ferrite bead, a typically non-decorative passive electric component used to suppress high frequency noise in electronic circuits
• Anal beads, a sex toy consisting of multiple spheres or balls attached together in series
• Bead test, a type of chemical analysis
• Bead method, a process of cell disruption for releasing biological molecules contained in cells