Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Bead \Bead\, n. [OE. bede prayer, prayer bead, AS. bed, gebed,
   prayer; akin to D. bede, G. bitte, AS. biddan, to ask, bid,
   G. bitten to ask, and perh. to Gr. ? to persuade, L. fidere
   to trust. Beads are used by the Roman Catholics to count
   their prayers, one bead being dropped down a string every
   time a prayer is said. Cf. Sp. cuenta bead, fr. contar to
   count. See {Bid}, in to bid beads, and {Bide}.]
   1. A prayer. [Obs.]

   2. A little perforated ball, to be strung on a thread, and
      worn for ornament; or used in a rosary for counting
      prayers, as by Roman Catholics and Mohammedans, whence the
      phrases to tell beads, to at one's beads, to bid beads,
      etc., meaning, to be at prayer.

   3. Any small globular body; as,
      (a) A bubble in spirits.
      (b) A drop of sweat or other liquid. ``Cold beads of
          midnight dew.'' --Wordsworth.
      (c) A small knob of metal on a firearm, used for taking
          aim (whence the expression to draw a bead, for, to
          take aim).
      (d) (Arch.) A small molding of rounded surface, the
          section being usually an arc of a circle. It may be
          continuous, or broken into short embossments.
      (e) (Chem.) 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; as, the borax
          bead; the iron bead, etc.

   {Bead and butt} (Carp.), framing in which the panels are
      flush, having beads stuck or run upon the two edges.
      --Knight.

   {Beat mold}, a species of fungus or mold, the stems of which
      consist of single cells loosely jointed together so as to
      resemble a string of beads. [Written also {bead mould}.]
      

   {Bead tool}, a cutting tool, having an edge curved so as to
      make beads or beading.

   {Bead tree} (Bot.), a tree of the genus {Melia}, the best
      known species of which ({M. azedarach}), has blue flowers
      which are very fragrant, and berries which are poisonous.