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Bead

Jewellery
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A small decorative object, usually pierced for threading, used in necklaces, bracelets, embroidery, or symbolic adornment.

Detailed Definition
A bead can serve as a compact poetic image of counting, prayer, memory, or accumulated time. Strung beads suggest sequence and continuity, making them apt for rosaries, necklaces, mourning tokens, and records of travel. A single bead may seem insignificant, yet its place in a larger strand can represent the individual within family, community, or history.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Each bead held the blue of a vanished sea” makes a bead carry memory and image; A rosary bead in a poem can represent prayer, repetition, or doubt; “She counted beads instead of naming her fears” shows how the object can structure a speaker’s anxiety; A poet may describe beads slipping from a broken string to symbolize scattered years or broken family ties
Additional Notes
A bead is a small pierced object threaded onto string, wire, or fabric with other beads. Beads may be made of glass, stone, bone, clay, or seeds, giving poets rich material detail. A string of beads can symbolize counting, prayer, ancestry, patience, or a sequence of memories joined together.
Also Known As
Small Bead Prayer Bead Rosary Bead Seed Pearl
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