bead

Plural: beads

Noun

a small ball with a hole through the middle
a shape that is spherical and small
- "beads of sweat on his forehead"
a beaded molding for edging or decorating furniture
Prayer, later especially with a rosary.
Each in a string of small balls making up the rosary or paternoster.
A small, round object.
A small, round object with a hole to allow it to be threaded on a cord or wire, particularly for decorative purposes.
A small, round object.
Various small, round solid objects.
A small, round object.
A small drop of water or other liquid.
A small, round object.
A bubble, in spirits.
A small, round object.
A small, round ball at the end of a barrel of a gun used for aiming.
A small, round object.
A small, round ball at the end of a barrel of a gun used for aiming.
Knowledge sufficient to direct one's activities to a purpose.
A ridge, band, or molding.
A rigid edge of a tire that mounts it on a wheel; tire bead.
A ridge, band, or molding.
A narrow molding with semicircular section.
A 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.

Verb

Verb Forms: beaded, beading, beads

To decorate or cover with small, round ornaments.
form into beads, as of water or sweat, for example
decorate by sewing beads onto
- "bead the wedding gown"
string together like beads
To form into a bead.
To apply beads to.
To form into a bead.
To cause beads to form on (something).

Examples

beads of sweat
He beaded some solder for the ends of the wire.
She drew a bead on the target and fired.
She spent the morning beading the gown.
Sweat began to bead on his forehead as he contemplated his next move.
the borax bead; the iron bead, etc.
The raindrops beaded on the car's waxed finish.
We now have a bead on the main technical issues for the project

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English bede (“a prayer”), also “a bead for counting prayers” in a peire of bedes (literally “a pair of beads”), from Old English bedu, bed, ġebed (“a request, entreaty, prayer”), from Proto-West Germanic *bedu, *bed, *gabed, from Proto-Germanic *bedō, *bedą.
Cognate with Dutch gebed and bede, German Gebet.

Synonyms

astragal, beading, beadwork, drop, pearl, prayer bead

Scrabble Score: 7

bead: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
bead: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
bead: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 8

bead: valid Words With Friends Word