- Roman Catholic Church.
- 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.
- 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.
- a similar string of beads consisting of five sets of 10.
- 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.
- 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.
- RC Church
- 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
- a string of 55 or 165 beads used to count these prayers as they are recited
- (in other religions) a similar string of beads used in praying
- a bed or garden of roses
- an archaic word for garland (def. 1)
