[Richardson derives it from Fr. _Rosaire_; Ital. and Sp. _Rosario_; Low
Lat. _Rosarium, corona rosacea_, a garland or chaplet of roses. The
definition of it by the Abbé Prevost is this:--"It consists," he says,
"of fifteen tens, said to be in honour of the fifteen mysteries in
which the Blessed Virgin bore a part. _Five_ Joyous, viz. the
annunciation, the visit to St. Elizabeth, the birth of our Saviour, the
purification, and the disputation of Christ in the temple. _Five_
Sorrowful: our Saviour's agony in the garden, his flagellation,
crowning with thorns, bearing his cross, and crucifixion. _Five_
Glorious: his resurrection, ascension, the descent of the Holy Ghost,
his glorification in heaven, and the assumption of the Virgin
herself."--_Manuel Lexique._ Nares, quoting this passage, adds, "This
is good authority; but why each of the fives is multiplied by ten the
Abbé does not explain; probably to make the chaplet of a sufficient
length."]
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