What does beaded mean?
Beaded is an adjective describing something adorned with, covered by, or formed into beads — the small perforated spheres of glass, wood, metal, or plastic that have ornamented human dress and objects for thousands of years. In its most familiar use it appears before a noun: a beaded gown, a beaded handbag, a beaded curtain swaying in a doorway. The word also has a vivid figurative-participial sense, describing liquid gathered into tiny rounded drops, as when a runner's forehead is beaded with sweat or condensation beads on a cold glass. This dual character makes beaded equally at home in fashion writing and in evocative physical description. It derives from bead, an English word whose oldest meaning was 'a prayer', since small balls were once used as counters on prayer strings such as the rosary. Connotations are generally decorative and tactile, suggesting craftsmanship, shimmer, and careful detail.
adjectiveDecorated or covered with beads, or formed into small rounded droplets; also used to describe moisture gathering in tiny drops on a surface.
- Decorated with or made of small perforated balls of glass, wood, plastic, or other material strung together.
- (Of liquid) gathered into small rounded droplets on a surface, as in 'beads of sweat'.
"She wore a beaded gown that shimmered under the ballroom lights."
"A beaded curtain separated the doorway with a soft clatter."
"His forehead was beaded with sweat after the long climb."
The word 'bead' originally meant 'a prayer' — so a beaded rosary was literally a string of prayers you could count on your fingers.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of beaded
Beaded is the adjectival form of bead, which comes from Middle English bede, meaning 'a prayer' or 'a prayer bead', from Old English gebed, related to the verb 'bid' (to pray or ask). Because small perforated balls were used to count prayers on strings such as the rosary, the word shifted from meaning the prayer itself to meaning the counter, and eventually any small spherical object. The adjective beaded arose from this noun, describing things strung with or resembling such beads.
Related word forms
How beaded is actually used
Most often used attributively before a noun (a beaded bag, a beaded curtain). The participial sense describing moisture ('his brow was beaded with sweat') is common in descriptive and literary writing and carries no connotation of decoration.
Easily confused with beaded
'Beaded' means decorated with or formed into beads, while 'bedded' means placed or settled into a bed or base.