Meanings
nounBaily's beads pl (plural only)
- pluralplural onlyastronomyA feature of total solar eclipses. As the moon "grazes" by the sun during a solar eclipse, the rugged lunar limb topography allows beads of sunlight to shine through in some places and not in others.
Origin
In honour of Francis Baily, who first fully explained the phenomenon in 1836.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 倍里珠, 貝里珠串
- 倍里珠Baily's beads
- 貝里珠串Baily's beads
Japanese ベイリー・ビーズ
- ベイリー・ビーズBaily's beads
Cite this entry
APA
Baily's beads. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Baily's%20beads
MLA
“Baily's beads.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Baily's%20beads. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Baily's beads,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Baily's%20beads.
Source: Baily's beads on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.