Plural of beading; decorative work made from small beads sewn or threaded together, or the bead-like molding along architectural edges.
From bead (Old English 'bede', originally meaning 'prayer'), combined with the suffix -ing, then pluralized. Beading as ornamentation became popular in medieval times when glass beads were precious.
The word 'bead' originally meant 'prayer'—monks kept prayer beads, and the beads themselves became called 'beads' because counting them helped you count your prayers!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.