A Wallet Was Once a Bag Carried Over the Shoulder
A wallet holds money and cards. The word first meant a pilgrim's or pedlar's bag, and the pocket sense is American and recent.
A wallet is a flat folding case for money and cards. For most of its history it was something else entirely: a bag or knapsack slung over the shoulder, carried by pilgrims, pedlars and beggars. The small pocket version is American and dates from the nineteenth century. The digital wallet then took the name into software, keeping the same idea of a personal store.
- A folding money case. *He left his wallet at home.*
- A bag (archaic). *A pilgrim's wallet.*
- Digital wallet — an app holding payment cards. *Pay with a digital wallet.*
- Purse — British for a woman's money holder; American for a handbag. *A leather purse.*
- Out of pocket — having spent your own money. *I'm out of pocket by thirty pounds.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | wallet | A worn wallet. |
| Plural | wallets | Two wallets. |
| Compound | wallet-sized | A wallet-sized photo. |
| Related | purse | A coin purse. |
| Related | billfold | American: a billfold. |
- His wallet was stolen on the train.The object.
- A pilgrim carried a staff and a wallet.The old sense.
- Add the card to your digital wallet.Technology.
Purse means different things
- Britain — a purse holds coins and notes, usually a woman's
- America — a purse is a handbag
- Britain — a handbag is a handbag
- Prize purse — the money in a boxing or racing contest, in both
- Purse strings — control of the money, everywhere
Middle English *walet*, a bag or knapsack, of uncertain origin, possibly Germanic. The pocketbook sense is recorded in American English from the 1830s.
Did a wallet used to be a bag?
Yes. For centuries it meant a knapsack or satchel carried by travellers. The small folding case is a nineteenth-century American development.
What is the difference between a purse and a wallet?
In Britain a purse is usually for coins and a wallet for notes and cards. In America a purse is a handbag.