Origin: Germanic Old English prefix
Beads has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
several beads threaded together on a string
"She carefully strung the colorful glass beads onto a thin leather cord to make a necklace."
plural of bead
"She carefully arranged the colorful beads into a delicate necklace to match her summer dress."
A beaded necklace.
In plain English: Beads are small, round objects that you string together to make jewelry or decorations.
"She wore a necklace made of shiny glass beads."
Usage: Beads are small, round objects strung together to make jewelry like necklaces or used in crafts. Do not use the word to describe a single piece of jewelry; instead, refer to the entire item as a "beaded necklace."
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of bead
"She beads her tears as she watches the sunset fade from the horizon."
In plain English: To bead means to form into small drops, like when water beads up on a leaf.
"She was beads with sweat after running the marathon in the heat."
Usage: Do not use "bead" as a verb in everyday conversation; it is an archaic term rarely used outside of specific technical descriptions about forming drops or pearls. Instead, rely on standard verbs like "form," "create," or describe the action directly to ensure clear communication.
Beads comes from Old English bēad, originally referring to any small, round object or drop, such as raindrops or tears. The term evolved through Middle English to specifically denote small decorative spheres strung together on a cord.