Purse and Bursar Come From the Same Leather Bag
A purse is a small bag for money. Its Greek ancestor also gave English bursar, reimburse and disburse.
A purse is a small bag for carrying money, and in American English a handbag. Greek *bursa* meant a hide or leather bag, and it gave English a whole vocabulary of institutional money: a *bursar* keeps the college purse, a *bursary* is money paid from it, to *disburse* is to pay out of the bag and to *reimburse* is to put money back into it. To *purse your lips* is to draw them tight like a drawstring bag being closed.
- A money bag. *A leather purse.*
- A handbag (US). *Her purse.*
- Prize money. *A boxing purse.*
- To purse the lips. *He pursed his lips.*
- Greek — *bursa*, a hide. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | purse | A purse. |
| Plural | purses | Purses. |
| Verb | purse | Purse the lips. |
| Agent | bursar | A bursar. |
| Greek | bursa | A hide. |
- She took coins from her purse.Money.
- The bursar manages college funds.Related.
- He pursed his lips and said nothing.Gesture.
The bursa family
- Purse — the bag itself
- Bursar — the officer who keeps the purse
- Bursary — a grant paid from the purse
- Disburse — to pay out of the bag
- Reimburse — to put money back in
Old English *purs*, from Late Latin *bursa*, a purse, from Greek *bursa*, a hide or leather bag.
Are purse and reimburse related?
Yes. Both come from Latin bursa, a leather bag; reimburse means to put money back into the purse.
Why do we purse our lips?
Because the drawn-together shape resembles a drawstring purse being pulled shut.