Beacon
(Bea"con), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beaconed (-k'nd); p. pr. & vb. n. Beaconing.]
1. To give light to, as a beacon; to light up; to illumine.
That beacons the darkness of heaven.
Campbell.
2. To furnish with a beacon or beacons.
Beaconage
(Bea"con*age) n. Money paid for the maintenance of a beacon; also, beacons, collectively.
Beaconless
(Bea"con*less), a. Having no beacon.
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. pei`qein 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 be 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. — Bead 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 has blue flowers which are very fragrant, and berries
which are poisonous.
Bead
(Bead), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Beading.] To ornament with beads or
beading.
Bead
(Bead), v. i. To form beadlike bubbles.
Beadhouse
(Bead"house`, Bede"house`) n. [OE. bede prayer + E. house. See Bead, n.] An almshouse
for poor people who pray daily for their benefactors.
Beading
(Bead"ing), n.
1. (Arch.) Molding in imitation of beads.
