bead

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In half the children, a bead was applied to the Extra-1 acupoint, which is located in the midpoint between the eyebrows.

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Definitions (47)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (16)

  1. noun A small, often round piece of material, such as glass, plastic, or wood, that is pierced for stringing or threading.
  2. noun A necklace made of such pieces.
  3. noun Roman Catholic Church A rosary.

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Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

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Examples (50)

  • In half the children, a bead was applied to the Extra-1 acupoint, which is located in the midpoint between the eyebrows. —  Signs of the Times
  • In the other half, the bead was applied to a spot above the left eyebrow that has no reported clinical effects. —  Signs of the Times
  • Inside was a small globular blackstone relic casket, two small hemipsherical metal cups a little over an inch in diameter with a gold bead on the apex of one, and the bead (fallen out of the other; another small bead, two double pearls, also four gold lotus flowers 1.2 inch in diameter, two trisulas in thin plates 1.2 by 1 inch, seven triangular bits of gold, a single and a double gold bead--the weight of these gold articles being about 148 grains. —  The American Journal of Archaeology, 1893-1
  • They are inserted in a sponge-bead, and are designed to remove the cake usually caused by the adherence of the bottoms of the cylinders to the bottom of the bore The edges of the scrapers are so bevelled as to act only when turned to the right, or with the sun Scrapers are also to be supplied for rifled cannon, made to clean a groove and the adjacent lands ORDINARY HANDSPIKES 237. —  Ordnance Instructions for the United States Navy. 1866. Fourth edition.
  • The natives assisted us to roll them to and from the pond; and a nail or a bead was the expence of their labour. —  A Voyage Towards the South Pole and Round the World Volume 2
 

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English bede, rosary bead, prayer, from Old English bed, bedu, gebed, prayer; see gwhedh- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English bede, a prayer, also (in peire of bedes, a pair of beads) a bead used in counting prayers, from Anglo-Saxon bedu (rare, and the nominative is not found), in comp. bed- (= Old Saxon beda = OFries. bede = Dutch bede = Old High German beta, Middle High German bete, German bitte = Gothic (Moesogothic) bida), feminine (also gebed = Old Saxon gibed = Old High German gabet, Middle High German G. gebet, neuter), a prayer, from biddan, etc., pray: see bid. Beads are used by Roman Catholics to keep them right as to the number of their prayers, one bead of the rosary being dropped every time a prayer is said; hence the transference of the name from that which is counted (the prayers) to that which is used to count with. Cf. Spanish cuentas, Portuguese contas, the beads of a rosary, from Spanish Portuguese contar, count.
  2. from bead, n.
 

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/bid/
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