BEAD

Bead

A bead is a small, decorative object that is formed in a variety of shapes and sizes of a material such as glass, plastic, or wood, and that is pierced for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under to over in diameter. A pair of beads made from Nassarius sea snail shells, approximately 100,000 years old, are thought to be the earliest known examples of jewellery. Beadwork is the art or craft of making things with beads. Beads can be woven together with specialized thread, strung onto thread or soft, flexible wire, or adhered to a surface .

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bead

Noun

  1. Prayer, later especially with a rosary.
  2. Each in a string of small balls making up the rosary or paternoster.
  3. A small round object.
    1. A small round object with a hole to allow it to be threaded on a cord or wire.
    2. A small round solid object.
      1. A small drop of water or other liquid.
    3. A bubble, in spirits.
    4. A small round ball at the end of a barrel of a gun used for aiming.
    5. A ridge, band, or molding.
    6. A rigid edge of a tire that mounts it on a wheel; tire bead.
  4. A knowledge sufficient to direct one's activities to a purpose.
  5. 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

  1. To form into a bead.
    The raindrops beaded on the car's waxed finish.
  2. To apply beads to.
    She spent the morning beading the gown.
  3. To form into a bead.
    He beaded some solder for the ends of the wire.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: bead
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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