a woody tropical vine, Abrus precatorius, of the legume family, having extremely poisonous scarlet and black seeds that are used for beads and a root used as a substitute for licorice.
Main Entry: rosary pea Function: noun 1: an East Indian leguminous twining herb of the genus Abrus (A. precatorius) that bears jequirity beans andhas a root used as a substitute for licorice called also jequirity bean 2:JEQUIRITY BEAN 1
