rosary

[ roh-zuh-ree ]

/ ˈroʊ zə ri /

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noun, plural ro·sa·ries.

Roman Catholic Church.

a series of prayers, usually consisting of 15 decades of aves, each decade being preceded by a paternoster and followed by a Gloria Patri, one of the mysteries or events in the life of Christ or the Virgin Mary being recalled at each decade.
a string of beads used for counting these prayers during their recitation.
a similar string of beads consisting of five decades.

(among other religious bodies) a string of beads similarly used in praying.

a rose garden or a bed of roses.

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Origin of rosary

1350–1400 for earlier sense; 1400–50 for sense “rose garden”; 1540–50 for def. 1; Middle English rosarie<Medieval Latin rosārium, in all current senses, Latin: rose garden, equivalent to ros(a) rose¹ + -ārium-ary

Words nearby rosary

Rosanne, rosarian, Rosario, Rosario Strait, rosarium, rosary, rosary pea, Rosas, rosa solis, rosbif, Roscian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rosary in a sentence

That includes the patient before her, the one with braided red curls, pale skin, the one with rosaries draped over her bedside, lying flat on her stomach, her left ear and cheek exposed, a tube inserted in her mouth filling her lungs with oxygen.
I Didn't Want to Push My Aunt to Get the Vaccine. Now I Live With Regrets|Ross Dellenger|September 12, 2021|Time
She recalled how each night her grandparents would pray the rosary.
They’re worried their mom is becoming a conspiracy theorist. She thinks they’re the ones living in a fantasy world.|Jose Del Real|March 12, 2021|Washington Post
This time, she hid a prayer card and string of rosary beads underneath the green leaves of a day lily to protect Miguel when she was not there.
Dying on the Waitlist|by David Armstrong and Marshall Allen|February 18, 2021|ProPublica
On Wednesday mornings before mass, he recites the rosary in a special prayer of liberation from the chains of the devil.
Vatican and Pope Francis Seek New Demon Exorcists|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The parishioners began saying the Rosary as a call went in to 911.
As 2014 Began, a Fateful Path to a Catholic Priest’s Murder|Michael Daly|January 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The faithful were still saying the Rosary when the officers informed them that they had to leave.
As 2014 Began, a Fateful Path to a Catholic Priest’s Murder|Michael Daly|January 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Stigler pressed his hand over the rosary he kept in his flight jacket.
Finding Humanity in the Darkness|Justin Green|March 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Maradona spent much of the game frantically gesticulating and clutching his rosary.
World Cup Primer|Joshua Robinson|June 12, 2010|DAILY BEAST
It was all of spotless white, with a long black rosary hanging from her breast.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
Sedgrave, the mayor, who had sat quiet during the former service, produced a rosary and prayed openly before the bloody effigy.
Ireland Under the Tudors, Vol. II (of 3)|Richard Bagwell
He wore a cap with a similar token, and carried a rosary in his hand.
The History of Tasmania , Volume II (of 2)|John West
My days slip by like pearl-gray beads on a rosary, Michael Daragh.
Jane Journeys On|Ruth Comfort Mitchell
The Cristiano carried in one pocket his rosary and in the other his knife.
Castellinaria|Henry Festing Jones

British Dictionary definitions for rosary

rosary

/ (ˈrəʊzərɪ) /

noun plural -saries

RC Church

a series of prayers counted on a string of beads, usually consisting of five or 15 decades of Aves, each decade beginning with a Paternoster and ending with a Gloria
a string of 55 or 165 beads used to count these prayers as they are recited

(in other religions) a similar string of beads used in praying

a bed or garden of roses

an archaic word for garland (def. 1)

Word Origin for rosary

C14: from Latin rosārium rose garden, from rosārius of roses, from rosa rose 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for rosary

rosary

A set of prayers common in the Roman Catholic Church, said during meditation on events in the lives of Jesus and of Mary, the mother of Jesus. A rosary is also the string of beads that the worshiper uses to count the prayers.

rosary

Origin of rosary

Words nearby rosary

Words related to rosary

How to use rosary in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rosary

Word Origin for rosary

Cultural definitions for rosary