bead

plural beads

1. archaicPrayer, later especially with a rosary.First known use 9ᵗʰc.

   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.First known use 14ᵗʰc.

   Holonym: prayer beads

   Synonyms: prayer bead

3. A small, round object.
   1. A small, round object with a hole to allow it to be threaded on a cord or wire, particularly for decorative purposes.First known use 15ᵗʰc.
   2. 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

   3. A small drop of water or other liquid.First known use 16ᵗʰc.

      beads of sweat

   4. A bubble, in spirits.
   5. A small, round ball at the end of a barrel of a gun used for aiming.

      She drew a bead on the target and fired.

      1 more example

      But then I had the [massive] flintlock by me for protection. ¶[…]The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window[…], and a 'bead' could be drawn upon Molly, the dairymaid, kissing the fogger behind the hedge, little dreaming that the deadly tube was levelled at them.

      1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC

   6. broadlyKnowledge sufficient to direct one's activities to a purpose.

      We now have a bead on the main technical issues for the project

4. A ridge, band, or molding.
   1. A rigid edge of a tire that mounts it on a wheel; tire bead.First known use 20ᵗʰc.
   2. architectureA narrow molding with semicircular section.

      Synonyms: beading

5. datedphysicalchemistryA 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.

   the borax bead;  the iron bead, etc.

6. artsA decorative, convex, rounded profile (often a half-circle) cut into an edge or surface of wood, typically defined by a narrow, deep channel called a quirk.

present singular third person beads · participle present beading · participle past beaded · past beaded

1. intransitiveTo form into a bead.

   The raindrops beaded on the car's waxed finish.

2. transitiveTo apply beads to.

   She spent the morning beading the gown.

3. transitiveTo form into a bead.

   He beaded some solder for the ends of the wire.

4. transitiveTo cause beads to form on (something).

   Only the hum of the miserable creatures stirred the heavy murk that beaded our foreheads with sweat as we pushed our way through it.

   1941, Emily Carr, “Greenville”, in Klee Wyck

1. abbreviationacronymAcronym of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment.

   1 more example

   The language fails to specify whether states that accept the funding for AI infrastructure could risk losing their original BEAD allotments if found out of compliance, it fails to address the broad and vague definitions of covered technologies, and it fails to address the sole problem it sought to address: the so-called patchwork of state laws.

   2025 June 30, “Coalition Letter: Oppose the Updated AI Moratorium”, in Encode, page 1