Definition
A woman, especially elderly or poor, hired or employed to pray for others; the female equivalent of a beadsman.
Etymology
From bead (prayer) plus woman. Beadswomen existed alongside beadsmen, though historically there are fewer documented records. The term follows the English pattern of creating female equivalents by replacing -man with -woman.
Kelly Says
Beadswomen are rarely mentioned in historical documents compared to beadsmen, which tells us something important about gender and recorded religious work—women's spiritual labor was often invisible despite being equally essential.
Translations
ARالعربية
امرأة حبات
im.ɾaʔa ħa.bat
BNবাংলা
মুক্তো নারী
mukto na.ri
CACatalà
dona perla
dɔ.na pɛr.la
CSČeština
perlová žena
pɛr.lo.va ʒɛ.na
DADansk
perlekvinde
pʰɛʁlə.kʰvin.də
DEDeutsch
Perlenfrau
pɛʁlən.fraʊ
ELΕλληνικά
γυναικάκι με πέρλες
ɣi.nɛˈkɐ.ki me ˈpɛr.lɛs
ESEspañol
mujer de cuentas
muˈxɛɾ ðe ˈkwentas
FAفارسی
زن مروارید
zan morvārid
FISuomi
helmiainen nainen
hel.mi.ɑi.nen nai.nen
FRFrançais
femme perlière
fɑm pɛʁ.ljɛʁ
GUGU
સ્ત્રી મોતી
st̪ri mo.ti
HAHA
mata gashi
ma.tɑ ɡa.ʃi
HEעברית
אישה פנינה
iˈʃa pəniˈna
HIहिन्दी
मोती महिला
mo.ti ma.hi.la
HUMagyar
gyöngyös nő
ɟøɲɟøʃ nøː
IDBahasa Indonesia
wanita manik
wa.ni.ta ma.nik
IGIG
nwanyị ọkpọkọ
nwa.ɲi ɔkpɔkɔ
ITItaliano
donna perle
dɔn.na ˈpɛr.le
JA日本語
ビーズの女性
bīzu no josei
KKKK
жемчужная әйел
ʒɛm.t͡ʃuʒ.nɑ.ja æ.jɛl
KMKM
ស្ត្រីកងកាន់
sdaɾɨ kɑŋ.kɑn
KO한국어
구슬 여성
guseul yeoseong
MRMR
स्त्री मोती
st̪ri mo.ti
MSBahasa Melayu
wanita manik
wa.ni.ta ma.nik
MYမြန်မာ
မိန်းမ ပုလဲ
mɪ́ɴ ma ɡə.pu.lɛ
NLNederlands
parelvrouw
paː.rəl.vɾɑu
NONorsk
perlekvinne
pæɾlə.kʋin.nə
PAPA
ਇਸਤਰੀ ਮੋਤੀ
is.t̪ri mo.ti
PLPolski
kobieta perłowa
kɔˈbʲɛ.ta pɛr.wɔ.va
PTPortuguês
mulher de contas
muˈʎɛɾ ðɨ ˈkõtɐs
RORomână
femeie perle
fɛˈme.je pɛr.le
RUРусский
перлённая женщина
pʲɛrˈlʲon.nɐj.a ʐɛn.ʃʃi.na
SVSvenska
pärlkvinna
pærl.kvin.na
SWKiswahili
mwanamke wa ungu
mwa.na.mke wa uŋɡu
TAதமிழ்
முத்துப் பெண்
muttu peṇ
TEతెలుగు
ముత్యం స్త్రీ
mutyaṁ strī
THไทย
สตรีลูกปัด
sat.lɯk.pàt
TLTL
babae perlas
ba.bɑˈɛ pɛr.las
TRTürkçe
boncuklu kadın
bon.d͡ʒuk.lu ka.dɯn
UKУкраїнська
перлённа жінка
pʲɛrˈlʲon.na ʒin.ka
URاردو
موتی خاتون
mūtī xātūn
VITiếng Việt
phụ nữ hạt
fu˧˦ nư˧˧ hət˧˧
YOYO
obinrin ọ̀kọ̀
ɔ.bɪ̃.rɪn ɔ̀kɔ̀
ZUZU
indoda ibhilili
i.nɖo.ɖa i.bʱi.li.li
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Feminine counterpart to beadsman, used when women's role was explicitly acknowledged; but historical records often defaulted to masculine terms even when women predominated.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'beadsperson' as primary gender-neutral term; 'beadswoman' acceptable when historical gender specificity is documented and relevant.
Inclusive Alternatives
["beadsperson"]
Empowerment Note
Medieval records confirm beadswomen held autonomous roles managing prayer schedules and institutional records; their contributions were often credited to male superiors.