Part 559

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 (M. azedarach), has blue flowers which are very fragrant, and berries which are poisonous.

Bead, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Beading.] To ornament with beads or beading.

Bead, v. i. To form beadlike bubbles.

{ Bead"house`, Bede"house` } (&?;), n. [OE. bede prayer + E. house. See Bead, n.] An almshouse for poor people who pray daily for their benefactors.

Bead"ing, n. 1. (Arch.) Molding in imitation of beads.

2. The beads or bead-forming quality of certain liquors; as, the beading of a brand of whisky.

Bea"dle (&?;), n. [OE. bedel, bidel, budel, OF. bedel, F. bedeau, fr. OHG. butil, putil, G. büttel, fr. OHG. biotan, G. bieten, to bid, confused with AS. bydel, the same word as OHG. butil. See. Bid, v.] 1. A messenger or crier of a court; a servitor; one who cites or bids persons to appear and answer; -- called also an apparitor or summoner.

2. An officer in a university, who precedes public processions of officers and students. [Eng.]

In this sense the archaic spellings bedel (Oxford) and bedell (Cambridge) are preserved.

3. An inferior parish officer in England having a variety of duties, as the preservation of order in church service, the chastisement of petty offenders, etc.

Bea"dle*ry (&?;), n. Office or jurisdiction of a beadle.

Bea"dle*ship, n. The state of being, or the personality of, a beadle. A. Wood.

Bead" proof` (&?;). 1. Among distillers, a certain degree of strength in alcoholic liquor, as formerly ascertained by the floating or sinking of glass globules of different specific gravities thrown into it; now ascertained by more accurate meters.

2. A degree of strength in alcoholic liquor as shown by beads or small bubbles remaining on its surface, or at the side of the glass, when shaken.

Bead"roll` (&?;), n. (R. C. Ch.) A catalogue of persons, for the rest of whose souls a certain number of prayers are to be said or counted off on the beads of a chaplet; hence, a catalogue in general.

On Fame's eternal beadroll worthy to be filed. Spenser.

It is quite startling, on going over the beadroll of English worthies, to find how few are directly represented in the male line. Quart. Rev.

{ Beads"man, Bedes"man } (&?;), n.; pl. -men (&?;). A poor man, supported in a beadhouse, and required to pray for the soul of its founder; an almsman.

Whereby ye shall bind me to be your poor beadsman for ever unto Almighty God. Fuller.

Bead"snake` (&?;), n. (Zoöl.) A small poisonous snake of North America (Elaps fulvius), banded with yellow, red, and black.

{ Beads"wom`an, Bedes"wom`an } (&?;), n.; pl. -women (&?;). Fem. of Beadsman.

Bead"work` (&?;), n. Ornamental work in beads.

Bead"y (&?;), a. 1. Resembling beads; small, round, and glistening. "Beady eyes." Thackeray.

2. Covered or ornamented with, or as with, beads.

3. Characterized by beads; as, beady liquor.

Bea"gle (&?;), n. [OE. begele; perh. of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. & Gael. beag small, little, W. bach. F. bigle is from English.] 1. A small hound, or hunting dog, twelve to fifteen inches high, used in hunting hares and other small game. See Illustration in Appendix.