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beadhouse

American  
[beed-hous] / ˈbidˌhaʊs /
Or bedehouse

noun

plural

beadhouses

  1. (formerly) an almshouse in which the residents were required to pray for the founder.

Etymology

Origin of beadhouse

Middle English word dating back to 1125–75; bead, house

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A poor man, supported in a beadhouse, and required to pray for the soul of its founder; an almsman.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.