Meanings
nounpenal rosary (plural penal rosaries)
plural penal rosaries
- IrelandhistoricalA small set of rosary beads, consisting of a single decade of beads with a cross, attached to a ring.
Origin
From its use as a discreet form of prayer during Irish penal times when Catholic prayer was forbidden by the British.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
penal rosary. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penal%20rosary
MLA
“penal rosary.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penal%20rosary. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “penal rosary,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penal%20rosary.
Source: penal rosary on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.