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The beads you might wear around your neck once represented prayers. The Middle English word bede at first meant “a prayer.” People then, as now, often kept track of the number and order of a series of prayers with the help of a string of little balls. Because each of these balls stands for a prayer, the word bede came to be used for the balls themselves. Today this same word, now spelled bead, is used to refer to any small piece of material with a hole in it for threading on a string or wire.
Examples of bead in a Sentence
Ali Faccenda, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
According to the local tourism board, the beads are the only historical item allowed to leave the island.
—Alev Aktar, Robb Report, 29 Oct. 2024
Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 3 Nov. 2024
Every detail was perfectly recreated — from the performance look's metallic bustier, beaded yoke and chain skirt, to the black bob, silver headpiece, studded black gloves, black leggings and thigh-high leather boots Hudson wore to accessorize.
—Dave Quinn, People.com, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bead 
Dictionary Entries Near bead
Cite this Entry
“Bead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bead. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bead
1 of 2 nounbead
2 of 2 verbNoun
Middle English bede "prayer, rosary bead," from Old English bed "prayer"
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