A prayer or prayer bead; an archaic term for a prayer or religious verse.
From Old English 'bede' (prayer, a thing prayed for), related to 'bid' (to pray, to request). The word evolved from 'bead' as prayer beads became common in Christian practice.
The word 'bede' is preserved in the name of the famous historian 'Bede the Venerable' (672-735), whose name actually means 'prayer' in Old English—a fitting name for a medieval monk!
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