beads

Noun

bead (plural beads)

1. (archaic) Prayer, later especially with a rosary.
   • That he must believe in the Pope;—go to Mass;—cross himself;—tell his beads;—be a good Catholick, and that this, in all conscience, was enough to carry him to heaven.1760, Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, Penguin, published 2003, page 115
2. Each in a string of small balls making up the rosary or paternoster.
   • Holonym: prayer beads

   Synonyms:

   prayer bead

3. A small, round object with a hole to allow it to be threaded on a cord or wire, particularly for decorative purposes.
4. Various small, round solid objects.
   • 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.2013 May-June, Charles T. Ambrose, “Alzheimer’s Disease”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 200
5. A small drop of water or other liquid.
   • beads of sweat
6. A bubble, in spirits.

See all 16 meanings of bead