Etymology Map
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Bead

3 stages from Old English to English.

Today it means a small piece of glass, stone or similar material threaded with others

Where does the word "bead" come from? It comes from Old English gebed, passing through Middle English before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
gebed
Old English · medieval
"prayer"
'prayer', from biddan 'to ask, pray'
2
Stage 2 of 3
bede
Middle English · 1300s
"prayer; rosary ball"
'to count one's beads' meant to say one's prayers, keeping count on the rosary
3
Stage 3 of 3
bead
English · 1500s
"small pierced ball"
the word moved from the prayer to the little ball used to count it, and then to any small pierced ball
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Read the full story

Bead’s story begins in Old English: gebed meant “prayer.” 'prayer', from biddan 'to ask, pray'. By 1300s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as bede. 'to count one's beads' meant to say one's prayers, keeping count on the rosary. It reached English by 1500s as bead. The word moved from the prayer to the little ball used to count it, and then to any small pierced ball. Today, bead means a small piece of glass, stone or similar material threaded with others.