Definition of rosary

The word "rosary" derives from the medieval Latin "rosarium," which means "a garden of roses." This name came from the practice of counting prayers using a string or garland of knots or beads resembling a folk-medieval rosary garden, as roses typically numbered 50 in such gardens. In Christianity, the rosary is a devotional prayer that involves meditation on the mysteries of God's work and Christ's life. The traditional form of a rosary consists of twenty-five to forty-nine beads or knots, separated into five groups or decades, each containing five or ten beads. The first recorded use of the word "rosary" in English appears in Geoffrey Chaucer's 14th-century poem, "The Reeve's Prologue," in which he mentions gathering flowers in a "rosary" to create a garland. The term subsequently acquired religious overtones as it was applied to a series of prayers imitating the way priests prayed by counting their prayers' recitation on beaded ceremonies such as those worn today. The name "rosary" stuck and is still used in contemporary traditions because it encapsulates both the origins of the beaded devotional tool and the association between contemplative meditation and flower gardens. The phrase "garden of prayers" seems fitting for the rosary's nature since it requires spiritual reflection, contemplation, and connection to divine mysteries.