beadsman
Americannoun
plural
beadsmen-
a person who prays for another as a duty, especially when paid.
-
an inmate of a poorhouse; almsman.
noun
-
a person who prays for another's soul, esp one paid or fed for doing so
-
a person kept in an almshouse
Etymology
Origin of beadsman
1200–50; bead's man man of prayer; replacing Middle English bedeman. See bead, 's 1, man
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.
In a few minutes, he saw the old beadsman, who he thought had betaken himself to his quarters at Pittenweem, come forth, in the company of a young woman rolled up in a cloak.
From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 7 by Various
"Anster Fair was naething to it," replied the beadsman.
From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 7 by Various
Goddess, vouchsafe this aged man his right, To be your beadsman now, that was your knight.
From Memoirs of the Court of Queen Elizabeth by Aikin, Lucy
Yet why did the beadsman avoid the subject, and not offer satisfaction on a matter of importance to any one possessed of a spark of humanity?
From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 7 by Various
On the contrary, they are foreseen from the first: that of the beadsman in the lines,
From Life of John Keats His Life and Poetry, his Friends, Critics and After-fame by Colvin, Sidney
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.
