1. Glass globules of various sizes, formerly used to determine the strength of spirit, which was said to be of the strength numbered on the bead that remained suspended on its surface.

Nuttall's Standard dictionary of the English language By Nuttall, P.Austin

• beasis,
• bease,
• bealts,
• besde,
• pieads,
• deads,
• beas,
• besdes,
• beirds,
• blads,
• beasy,
• boads,
• boadys,
• bleds,
• bnads,
• bedst,
• beacse,
• biards,
• beeds,
• bades

• Betsy,
• bedaze,
• BETTIS,
• Betts,
• Beets,
• beats,
• betise,
• Betsey,
• bettes,
• bedeck.

The adjective form of the word "beads" is "beaded".