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Glite Dictionary
beadsman

beadsman

9.9
A man paid in the past to pray for another person's soul
  • noun
  • /ˈbēdzˌman/
  • Archaic
translation icon : orante
  • In medieval England, a beadsman would pray daily for the soul of his benefactor.

Examples

  • The wealthy nobleman endowed a beadsman to ensure his spiritual welfare after death.

  • The beadsman prayed daily for the wealthy merchant's soul.

  • Historically, a beadsman often lived near a church or monastery.

  • Many beadsmen were employed by the church in medieval times.

  • In medieval England, a beadsman was often hired to pray for the souls of the deceased.

  • A rich family would pay a beadsman to say prayers for their ancestors' souls.

  • Each month, the beadsman would visit the chapel to fulfill his duty of prayer.

Synonyms

bedesman
vsbeadsman
  • Archaic
9.9

A man paid in the past to pray for a dead person's soul

is the modern standard spelling rather than the older form

Surface Forms

beadsman singular
beadsmen plural

Morphology

beadsman = bead + man (opaque) = beads + man

Although built from 'bead(s)'+ 'man', the sense depends on an archaic meaning of 'bead' = 'prayer', so modern learners who know 'bead' only as a small object will not reliably derive the meaning.

Etymology

The word beadsman comes from the old word bede, meaning 'prayer', and is related to bead, as in 'prayer beads' you move when you pray. A beadsman was a man paid to say prayers for someone, so the name tells you exactly what he did.