Small, typically round objects with holes through them, used for making jewelry, decoration, or counting.
From Old English 'bead' originally meaning prayer, from 'biddan' (to pray). The objects got this name because they were used to count prayers on rosaries, showing how a spiritual practice gave its name to a physical object.
Beads are among humanity's oldest art forms - the earliest known beads are 100,000 years old from North Africa, suggesting that the desire to adorn ourselves with small, beautiful objects is fundamental to human nature across all cultures.
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