What is a rosary and a chaplet?

Question

I looked it up but still do not really understand?

Answer 1

The word rosary comes from Latin and means a garland of roses, the rose being one of the flowers used to symbolize the Virgin Mary The Rosary is a certain form of prayer wherein we say fifteen decades or tens of Hail Marys with an Our Father between each ten, while at each of these fifteen decades we recall successively in pious meditation one of the mysteries of our Redemption.

The Rosary as an object is a chaplet or string of beads. These beads are grouped in five sets of ten, or decades, with a large bead or other ornament separating each set. The beads culminate in a small medallion with the Virgin Mary's picture and then a small string of one bead, three beads and one bead, at the end of which is suspended a small crucifix. The chaplet may be a long string of beads, but is more commonly arranged to look like a necklace, although it is not worn as one.

The chaplet is used to pray the Rosary, a series of prayers and meditations on the life of Jesus Christ and his mother, the Virgin Mary. Devout Roman Catholics take the Rosary very seriously and use it as a means of meditation, as well as an intercessory prayer.

Answer 2

The Chaplet is a set of prayers, similar to the rosary. Just like the rosary, the chaplet is a string of beads made with the right amount of beads for keeping track of the prayers recited.

Here are the prayers of the chaplet of Divine Mercy:
http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm

Answer 3

A rosary is a string of beads used by Catholics and Episcopalians. Each bead is used for a specific prayer, one at a time.
Here is a guide for the use and meditation of the Catholic rosary:
http://home.earthlink.net/~niallmor/personal/rosary.html
A Detailed Guide to Our Lady's Rosary