beady en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈbi.di/ (General-American)
- /ˈbiː.di/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
Etymology tree English bead Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English beady From bead + -y.
Meanings
-
Resembling beads; small, round, and gleaming.
seeing Mrs. Bute's beady eyes
1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 19, in Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC:I shivered in every limb, and a cold beady dew sprang out on my temples as I stood with eyes riveted on the spectral figure before me.
1902, Robert Marshall Grade, The Haunted Major:
-
Bright and penetrating. (of eyes or a look)
Cracked eggs, dead birds, scream as they fight for life / I can feel death, can see its beady eyes
1996, Radiohead, “Street Spirit (Fade Out)”, in The Bends:
- Covered or ornamented with, or as if with, beads.
-
Characterized by beads.
beady liquor
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most beady | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| beadiest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| beadier | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| more beady | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
beadily · beady eye · beadiness