name
Meaning 1
A surname from Middle English.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
purse
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
-
UK: /pɜːs/
-
US: /pɝs/
-
US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)s
-
Received-Pronunciation: /pɜːs/
-
General-American: /pɜɹs/
-
General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
homophone: perse
-
CMU ARPABET: P ER1 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A small bag for carrying money.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A handbag (small bag usually used by women for carrying various small personal items)
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A quantity of money given for a particular purpose.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A specific sum of money in certain countries: formerly 500 piastres in Turkey or 50 tomans in Persia.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 6
To press (one's lips) in and together so that they protrude.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- 1901, Matilde Serao, The Land of Cockayne, translator not credited, London: Heinemann, Chapter IV, p. 72, https://archive.org/details/landofcockayne00seraiala The serving Sister pursed up her lips to remind him of the cloistral rule, almost as if she wanted to prevent any conversation between him and the nun.
- 1916, Leonid Andreyev, "An Original" in The Little Angel and Other Stories, translated by W. H. Lowe, New York: Alfred Knopf, p. 85, https://archive.org/details/littleangelother00andriala Anton Ivanovich pursed up his lower lip so that his grey moustache pressed against the tip of his red pitted nose, took in all the officials with his rounded eyes, and after an unavoidable pause emitted a fat unctuous laugh.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 7
To draw up or contract into folds or wrinkles; to pucker; to knit.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 8
To put into a purse.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 9
To steal purses; to rob.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive, obsolete, rare
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
a container used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- she reached into her bag and found a comb
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bag, handbag, pocketbook
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: container
Narrower terms: clutch bag, clutch, etui, evening bag, reticule, shoulder bag
noun
Meaning 11
a small bag for carrying money
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: bag
noun
Meaning 12
a sum of money offered as a prize
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the purse barely covered the winner's expenses
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: sum, sum of money, amount, amount of money
noun
Meaning 13
a sum of money spoken of as the contents of a money purse
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he made the contribution out of his own purse
- he and his wife shared a common purse
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: sum, sum of money, amount, amount of money
verb
Meaning 14
contract one's lips into a rounded shape
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: round, round out, round off
Narrower terms: pooch, pooch out
verb
Meaning 15
gather or contract into wrinkles or folds; pucker
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- purse ones's lips
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: wrinkle
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: contract
History
Etymology
A metonymic occupational surname for someone who made bags or purses, from Middle English purse.
From Middle English purs, from Old English purs (“purse”), partly from pusa (“wallet, bag, scrip”) and partly from burse (“pouch, bag”). Old English pusa comes from Proto-West Germanic *pusō, from Proto-Germanic *pusô (“bag, sack, scrip”), and is cognate with Old High German pfoso (“pouch, purse”), Low German pūse (“purse, bag”), Old Norse posi (“purse, bag”), Danish pose (“purse, bag”). Old English burse comes from Medieval Latin bursa (“leather bag”) (compare English bursar), from Ancient Greek βύρσα (búrsa, “hide, wine-skin”). Compare also Old French borse (French bourse), Old Saxon bursa (“bag”), Old High German burissa (“wallet”).
Across languages
Translations
288 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Afrikaans: beursie — small bag for carrying money
- Albanian: punjashe — small bag for carrying money
- Albanian: kuletë — small bag for carrying money
- Arabic: جِزْدَان (jizdān) — small bag for carrying money
- Arabic: جُزْدَان (juzdān) — small bag for carrying money
- Arabic: مِحْفَظَة (miḥfaẓa) — small bag for carrying money
- Arabic: جَرَبَنْدِيَّة (jarabandiyya) — small bag for carrying money
- Arabic: بزطام (bezṭam) — small bag for carrying money
- Armenian: քսակ (kʻsak) — small bag for carrying money
- Armenian: դրամապանակ (dramapanak) — small bag for carrying money
- Azerbaijani: pul kisəsi — small bag for carrying money
- Azerbaijani: portmonat — small bag for carrying money
- Azerbaijani: cüzdan — small bag for carrying money
- Belarusian: кашалёк (kašaljók) — small bag for carrying money
- Belarusian: партманэ́т (partmanét) — small bag for carrying money
- Bengali: পার্স (parśo) — small bag for carrying money
- Breton: yalc'h — small bag for carrying money
- Bulgarian: портмоне́ (portmoné) — small bag for carrying money
- Bulgarian: кеси́я (kesíja) — small bag for carrying money
- Bulgarian: портфе́йл (portféjl) — small bag for carrying money
- Burmese: ပိုက်ဆံအိတ် (puikhcam-it) — small bag for carrying money
- Caló: monedero — small bag for carrying money
- Caló: posi — small bag for carrying money
- Catalan: moneder — small bag for carrying money
- Catalan: portamonedes — small bag for carrying money
- Chinese Cantonese: 銀包 /银包 (ngan4 baau1) — small bag for carrying money
- Chinese Mandarin: 錢包 /钱包 (qiánbāo) — small bag for carrying money
- Chinese Mandarin: 錢袋 /钱袋 (qiándài) — small bag for carrying money
- Czech: peněženka — small bag for carrying money
- Czech: měšec — small bag for carrying money
- Danish: pengepung — small bag for carrying money
- Danish: pung — small bag for carrying money
- Dutch: handtas — small bag for carrying money
- Esperanto: monujo — small bag for carrying money
- Esperanto: burso — small bag for carrying money
- Estonian: rahakott — small bag for carrying money
- Estonian: kukkur — small bag for carrying money
- Faroese: pungur — small bag for carrying money
- Faroese: pengapungur — small bag for carrying money
- Finnish: rahapussi — small bag for carrying money
- Finnish: kukkaro — small bag for carrying money
- Finnish: rahakukkaro — small bag for carrying money
- French: bourse — small bag for carrying money
- French: portemonnaie — small bag for carrying money
- French: portefeuille — small bag for carrying money
- Georgian: საფულე (sapule) — small bag for carrying money
- Georgian: ქისა (kisa) — small bag for carrying money
- German: Geldbörse — small bag for carrying money
- German: Geldbeutel — small bag for carrying money
- German: Börse — small bag for carrying money
- German: Beutel — small bag for carrying money
- German: Portemonnaie — small bag for carrying money
- Greek: πορτοφόλι (portofóli) — small bag for carrying money
- Ancient Greek: βαλλάντιον (ballántion) — small bag for carrying money
- Mbya Guarani: voxa — small bag for carrying money
- Hebrew: אַרְנָק (arnák) — small bag for carrying money
- Hindi: पर्स (pars) — small bag for carrying money
- Hindi: बटुआ (baṭuā) — small bag for carrying money
- White Hmong: hnab rau nyiaj — small bag for carrying money
- Hungarian: erszény — small bag for carrying money
- Hungarian: (női) pénztárca — small bag for carrying money
- Ido: burso — small bag for carrying money
- Indonesian: dompet — small bag for carrying money
- Ingrian: kukkoro — small bag for carrying money
- Irish: sparán — small bag for carrying money
- Irish: mála — small bag for carrying money
- Italian: portafoglio — small bag for carrying money
- Italian: borsa — small bag for carrying money
- Italian: borsellino — small bag for carrying money
- Japanese: 財布 (saifu) — small bag for carrying money
- Japanese: パース (pāsu) — small bag for carrying money
- Japanese: 札入れ (satsuire) — small bag for carrying money
- Kazakh: әмиян (ämiän) — small bag for carrying money
- Kazakh: шилан (şilan) — small bag for carrying money
- Khmer: កាបូប (kaaboup) — small bag for carrying money
- Khmer: ការបូប (kaaboup) — small bag for carrying money
- Korean: 지갑 (jigap) — small bag for carrying money
- Northern Kurdish: cizdan — small bag for carrying money
- Kyrgyz: намыян (namıyan) — small bag for carrying money
- Kyrgyz: капчык (kapcık) — small bag for carrying money
- Ladino: monedero — small bag for carrying money
- Ladino: faldikera — small bag for carrying money
- Lao: ກະເປົາໃສ່ເງິນ (ka pao sai ngœn) — small bag for carrying money
- Lao: ກະເປົາ (ka pao) — small bag for carrying money
- Latin: crumēna — small bag for carrying money
- Latvian: maks — small bag for carrying money
- Lithuanian: piniginė — small bag for carrying money
- Macedonian: паричник (paričnik) — small bag for carrying money
- Macedonian: кесе (kese) — small bag for carrying money
- Macedonian: портмоне́ (portmoné) — small bag for carrying money
- Malay: dompet — small bag for carrying money
- Māori: pāhi — small bag for carrying money
- Mongolian: түрийвч (türiivč) — small bag for carrying money
- Mongolian: хэтэвч (xetevč) — small bag for carrying money
- Nepali: थैली (thailī) — small bag for carrying money
- Nepali: पर्स (pars) — small bag for carrying money
- Norwegian Bokmål: pung — small bag for carrying money
- Norwegian Bokmål: pengepung — small bag for carrying money
- Occitan: pòrtamoneda — small bag for carrying money
- Odia: ଗାଞ୍ଜିଆ (gāñjiā) — small bag for carrying money
- Dari: بَکْسَکِ پیسَه (baksak-i pēsa) — small bag for carrying money
- Iranian Persian: کیفِ پول (kif-e pul) — small bag for carrying money
- Iranian Persian: هَمْیان (hamyân) — small bag for carrying money
- Middle Persian: paywāsag — small bag for carrying money
- Plautdietsch: Tausch — small bag for carrying money
- Plautdietsch: Jelttausch — small bag for carrying money
- Polish: portmonetka — small bag for carrying money
- Polish: portfel — small bag for carrying money
- Portuguese: moedeiro — small bag for carrying money
- Romanian: pungă — small bag for carrying money
- Romanian: portmoneu — small bag for carrying money
- Romanian: portofel — small bag for carrying money
- Russian: кошелёк (košeljók) — small bag for carrying money
- Russian: портмоне́ (portmonɛ́) — small bag for carrying money
- Russian: мошна́ (mošná) — small bag for carrying money
- Russian: бума́жник (bumážnik) — small bag for carrying money
- Scottish Gaelic: sporan — small bag for carrying money
- Serbo-Croatian: новча̀нӣк — small bag for carrying money
- Serbo-Croatian: но̀вча̄рка — small bag for carrying money
- Serbo-Croatian: ке̏са — small bag for carrying money
- Serbo-Croatian: novčànīk — small bag for carrying money
- Serbo-Croatian: nòvčārka — small bag for carrying money
- Serbo-Croatian: kȅsa — small bag for carrying money
- Seychellois Creole: portmonnen — small bag for carrying money
- Sindhi: بٽوئو (batuo) — small bag for carrying money
- Sindhi: پئسن جي ٿيلهي (paisan ji thelhi) — small bag for carrying money
- Slovak: peňaženka — small bag for carrying money
- Slovene: denarnica — small bag for carrying money
- Spanish: bolsa — small bag for carrying money
- Spanish: monedero — small bag for carrying money
- Spanish: cigarra — small bag for carrying money
- Swahili: mfuko — small bag for carrying money
- Swedish: portmonnä — small bag for carrying money
- Tagalog: lukbutan — small bag for carrying money
- Tajik: ҳамён (hamyon) — small bag for carrying money
- Tatar: янчык (yançıq) — small bag for carrying money
- Thai: กระเป๋า (grà-bpǎo) — small bag for carrying money
- Turkish: cüzdan — small bag for carrying money
- Turkish: portföy — small bag for carrying money
- Ottoman Turkish: بدره (bedre) — small bag for carrying money
- Turkmen: gapjyk — small bag for carrying money
- Ukrainian: гамане́ць (hamanécʹ) — small bag for carrying money
- Ukrainian: портмоне́ (portmoné) — small bag for carrying money
- Urdu: پَرْس (pars) — small bag for carrying money
- Urdu: بَٹْوَا (baṭvā) — small bag for carrying money
- Urdu: بَٹْوَہ (baṭva) — small bag for carrying money
- Uyghur: ھەميان (hemyan) — small bag for carrying money
- Uzbek: hamyon — small bag for carrying money
- Uzbek: karmon — small bag for carrying money
- Vietnamese: ví tiền — small bag for carrying money
- Vietnamese: ví — small bag for carrying money
- Vietnamese: bóp — small bag for carrying money
- Yiddish: טײַסטער (tayster) — small bag for carrying money
- Zazaki: cızdan — small bag for carrying money
- Zazaki: kisik — small bag for carrying money
- Zhuang: ngaenzbau — small bag for carrying money
- Afrikaans: handsak — small bag for carrying personal items
- Albanian: punjashe — small bag for carrying personal items
- Arabic: صاك (ṣak) — small bag for carrying personal items
- Belarusian: су́мачка (súmačka) — small bag for carrying personal items
- Belarusian: то́рбачка (tórbačka) — small bag for carrying personal items
- Bulgarian: да́мска ча́нта (dámska čánta) — small bag for carrying personal items
- Caló: bojtí — small bag for carrying personal items
- Caló: bolso — small bag for carrying personal items
- Chinese Mandarin: 手提包 (shǒutíbāo) — small bag for carrying personal items
- Czech: kabelka — small bag for carrying personal items
- Danish: håndtaske — small bag for carrying personal items
- Dutch: handtas — small bag for carrying personal items
- Esperanto: mansako — small bag for carrying personal items
- Estonian: käekott — small bag for carrying personal items
- Finnish: käsilaukku — small bag for carrying personal items
- French: sac à main — small bag for carrying personal items
- German: Handtasche — small bag for carrying personal items
- Greek: τσαντάκι (tsantáki) — small bag for carrying personal items
- Hebrew: תיק (tik) — small bag for carrying personal items
- Hungarian: erszény — small bag for carrying personal items
- Hungarian: retikül — small bag for carrying personal items
- Hungarian: ridikül — small bag for carrying personal items
- Irish: mála — small bag for carrying personal items
- Italian: borsetta — small bag for carrying personal items
- Ladino: bolso — small bag for carrying personal items
- Ladino: kartera — small bag for carrying personal items
- Latin: bursa — small bag for carrying personal items
- Latin: reticulum — small bag for carrying personal items
- Macedonian: чанта (čanta) — small bag for carrying personal items
- Macedonian: ташна (tašna) — small bag for carrying personal items
- Māori: pāhi — small bag for carrying personal items
- Māori: puhera — small bag for carrying personal items
- Norwegian Bokmål: håndveske — small bag for carrying personal items
- Iranian Persian: چَنْتِه (čante) — small bag for carrying personal items
- Polish: torebka — small bag for carrying personal items
- Portuguese: bolsa — small bag for carrying personal items
- Romanian: poșetă — small bag for carrying personal items
- Romanian: geantă — small bag for carrying personal items
- Russian: су́мка (súmka) — small bag for carrying personal items
- Russian: су́мочка (súmočka) — small bag for carrying personal items
- Serbo-Croatian: то́рба — small bag for carrying personal items
- Serbo-Croatian: то̀рбица — small bag for carrying personal items
- Serbo-Croatian: tórba — small bag for carrying personal items
- Serbo-Croatian: tòrbica — small bag for carrying personal items
- Sindhi: پرس (purs) — small bag for carrying personal items
- Slovak: kabelka — small bag for carrying personal items
- Slovene: torbica — small bag for carrying personal items
- Spanish: bolsa — small bag for carrying personal items
- Spanish: bolso — small bag for carrying personal items
- Spanish: bulto — small bag for carrying personal items
- Spanish: cartera — small bag for carrying personal items
- Spanish: zacuto — small bag for carrying personal items
- Swedish: handväska — small bag for carrying personal items
- Tagalog: lukbutan — small bag for carrying personal items
- Turkish: el çantası — small bag for carrying personal items
- Ukrainian: су́мочка (súmočka) — small bag for carrying personal items
- Ukrainian: то́рбочка (tórbočka) — small bag for carrying personal items
- Ukrainian: торби́нка (torbýnka) — small bag for carrying personal items
- Unami: mënutès — small bag for carrying personal items
- Unami: èmsinutay — small bag for carrying personal items
- Uzbek: sumka — small bag for carrying personal items
- Arabic: جايزة (jayza) — quantity of money
- Bulgarian: сре́дства (srédstva) — quantity of money
- Caló: lové — quantity of money
- Caló: bolsa — quantity of money
- Finnish: määräraha — quantity of money
- Finnish: budjetti — quantity of money
- French: bourse — quantity of money
- Hebrew: סכום כסף (skhum kesef) — quantity of money
- Hebrew: קופה (kupa) — quantity of money
- Hungarian: pénztárca — quantity of money
- Hungarian: anyagi keretek/lehetőségek — quantity of money
- Italian: borsa — quantity of money
- Ladino: kuantía de paras — quantity of money
- Latin: crumēna — quantity of money
- Polish: fundusze — quantity of money
- Polish: zasoby finansowe — quantity of money
- Polish: kabza — quantity of money
- Portuguese: fundo — quantity of money
- Russian: казна́ (kazná) — quantity of money
- Russian: де́ньги (dénʹgi) — quantity of money
- Sindhi: رقم (raqam) — quantity of money
- Spanish: bolsa — quantity of money
- Bulgarian: свивам (svivam) — to press (the lips) together
- Caló: apretar las murres — to press (the lips) together
- Chinese Mandarin: 抿嘴 (mǐnzuǐ) — to press (the lips) together
- Finnish: suipistaa — to press (the lips) together
- Finnish: mutristaa — to press (the lips) together
- French: pincer les lèvres — to press (the lips) together
- German: schürzen — to press (the lips) together
- Hebrew: קפץ שפתיים (kafáts sfatáyim) — to press (the lips) together
- Hungarian: csücsörít — to press (the lips) together
- Hungarian: csucsorít — to press (the lips) together
- Irish: crap — to press (the lips) together
- Ladino: frunsir los bezos — to press (the lips) together
- Latin: labra comprimere — to press (the lips) together
- Māori: whakamito — to press (the lips) together
- Polish: zaciskać — to press (the lips) together
- Polish: zacisnąć — to press (the lips) together
- Polish: ściągać — to press (the lips) together
- Polish: ściągnąć — to press (the lips) together
- Russian: поджима́ть (podžimátʹ) — to press (the lips) together
- Russian: подбира́ть (podbirátʹ) — to press (the lips) together
- Serbo-Croatian: napućiti — to press (the lips) together
- Serbo-Croatian: naškubiti — to press (the lips) together
- Sindhi: چپن کي ڀيچڻ (chapan khe bhechanu) — to press (the lips) together
- Slovene: našobiti — to press (the lips) together
- Spanish: fruncir — to press (the lips) together
- Swedish: snörpa — to press (the lips) together
- Tarifit: ziyyer icenfuren — to press (the lips) together
- Arabic: كمش (kemmeš) — to pucker
- Bulgarian: набръчквам (nabrǎčkvam) — to pucker
- Caló: fruncir — to pucker
- Caló: arrugar — to pucker
- Chinese Mandarin: 皱起 (zhòuqǐ) — to pucker
- French: froncer — to pucker
- French: plisser — to pucker
- Hebrew: כיווץ (kivéts) — to pucker
- Ladino: frunsir — to pucker
- Ladino: arrugar — to pucker
- Latin: corrugare — to pucker
- Māori: pōtete — to pucker
- Polish: wydymać — to pucker
- Polish: wydąć — to pucker
- Polish: odymać — to pucker
- Polish: odąć — to pucker
- Russian: мо́рщить (mórščitʹ) — to pucker
- Sindhi: سڪيڙڻ (sukiranu) — to pucker
- Sindhi: گهنجائڻ (ghunjanu) — to pucker
- Spanish: fruncir — to pucker
- Swedish: snörpa — to pucker
- Tarifit: kkmes — to pucker
Real reading context