What exactly is a bead

A bead is a hard little ball with a small hole through it. A string is put through the hole and many beads are fastened together on the same string. Beads are made of pretty materials and are usually used as jewelry, or to ornament clothing. But the word bead comes from an Old English word, bede, which meant "pray." In the Catholic Church and in some other churches, people count little beads on a string as they pray. A string of beads used in praying is called a rosary.

Beads were useful in ancient times in the abacus, a device for counting. (There is an article on the ABACUS.) Beads made out of shells, ivory, bones and stones have been found in the tombs and graves of people who lived thousands of years ago, before history was written down. Very ancient "eye-beads" have been found in Asia. Long ago people wore these beads because they thought they were magic charms that would keep the wearer from getting sick, and would also keep evil spirits away.

Beads like that are a little bit like the good luck charms that people wear now. About five hundred years ago, the glassworkers of Venice, Italy, made beautiful glass beads in many colors and shapes. Most glass beads are now made by machine. More expensive beads are made out of pearls, or amber, or semiprecious stones. Tiny glass beads are still sewed on women's clothing. This is called "beading." Larger glass beads are made into necklaces or bracelets. The most famous beads in the history of America were made out of glass. They were the beads that Peter Minuit used in 1626 to buy all of Manhattan Island from the Indians. These beads were worth only $24, but to the Indians they were priceless.

The Indians used shells and beads as money, or "wampum." The Indians' beads were made out of shells, stone, horn, wood, and dried seeds. The word bead has other meanings too, aside from prayer and counting, good luck charms or just decorations. You can "draw a bead" on a target, which means you aim your gun. A little piece of metal called a bead is part of the gunsight that you use to aim a gun. Sometimes little drops of water are called beads. We often speak of beads of dew, or beads of perspiration