rosary

[ roh-zuh-ree ]

noun

, plural ro·sa·ries.

1. Roman Catholic Church.
   1. none the rosary or the Rosary, a series of prayers, usually consisting of 15 sets of 10 Ave Marias, each set of 10 being preceded by a Paternoster and followed by a Gloria Patri, and each including a prayer that recalls one of the mysteries or events in the life of Christ or the Virgin Mary:

      All through that crisis, I never stopped praying the rosary and other devotions dear to my heart.

      He learned to say the Rosary as a kid going to Catholic school, and never lost the habit.

   2. a string of beads used for counting these prayers during their recitation:

      As a memento of my visit to the basilica, I bought a lovely sandalwood rosary.

   3. a similar string of beads consisting of five sets of 10.
2. in various non–Roman Catholic faith traditions, a string of beads used in praying, especially to count recited prayers:

   The auspicious number 108 represents the number of beads in a Buddhist rosary.

   One of the beauties of the Anglican rosary is the ability to use it with your own prayers according to your preferences, needs, or the liturgical season.

3. a rose garden or a bed of roses:

   The rosebushes in the rosary are covered with burlap to protect the buds from late spring frost.

rosary

/ ˈrəʊzərɪ /

noun

1. RC Church
   1. 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
   2. a string of 55 or 165 beads used to count these prayers as they are recited
2. (in other religions) a similar string of beads used in praying
3. a bed or garden of roses
4. See garland
   an archaic word for garland

rosary

1. 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of rosary¹

First recorded in 1350–1400, for an earlier sense; 1400–50 rosary fordef 3; 1540–50 rosary fordef 1; Middle English rosarie, from Medieval Latin rosārium, in all current senses (in Latin: “rose garden”); equivalent to rose ¹ + -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of rosary¹

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

Example Sentences

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.

From Time

She recalled how each night her grandparents would pray the rosary.

From 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.

From ProPublica

On Wednesday mornings before mass, he recites the rosary in a special prayer of liberation from the chains of the devil.

From The Daily Beast

The parishioners began saying the Rosary as a call went in to 911.

From The Daily Beast

The faithful were still saying the Rosary when the officers informed them that they had to leave.

From The Daily Beast

Stigler pressed his hand over the rosary he kept in his flight jacket.

From The Daily Beast

Maradona spent much of the game frantically gesticulating and clutching his rosary.

From The Daily Beast

It was all of spotless white, with a long black rosary hanging from her breast.

From Project Gutenberg

Sedgrave, the mayor, who had sat quiet during the former service, produced a rosary and prayed openly before the bloody effigy.

From Project Gutenberg

He wore a cap with a similar token, and carried a rosary in his hand.

From Project Gutenberg

My days slip by like pearl-gray beads on a rosary, Michael Daragh.

From Project Gutenberg

The Cristiano carried in one pocket his rosary and in the other his knife.

From Project Gutenberg