(in the Roman Catholic Church) a form of devotion in which five (or fifteen) decades of Hail Marys are repeated, each decade preceded by an Our Father and followed by a Glory Be (天主教)念珠祈祷(一种数念珠的祈祷式,《圣母颂》念五遍[或15遍],每遍之前念《主祷文》,之后念《荣耀颂》),玫瑰经 the congregation said the rosary. 全体教徒念玫瑰经。 ■a string of beads for keeping count in such a devotion or in the devotions of some other religions, in Roman Catholic use 55 or 165 in number (一串)念珠(天主教或其他一些宗教作祈祷时用的念珠,天主教使用55或165颗念珠) ■a book containing such a devotion 《玫瑰经》
语源
late Middle English (in the sense 'rose garden'): from Latin rosarium 'rose garden', based on rosa 'rose'