Purse

Definition of Purse

n.

1.

A small bag or pouch, the opening of which is made to draw together closely, used to carry money in; by extension, any receptacle for money carried on the person; a wallet; a pocketbook; a portemonnaie.

Who steals my purse steals trash.

- Shak.

2.

Hence, a treasury; finances; as, the public purse.

3.

A sum of money offered as a prize, or collected as a present; as, to win the purse; to make up a purse.

4.

A specific sum of money

Light purse
poverty or want of resources.

Long purse
wealth; riches.

Purse crab
(Zool.) any land crab of the genus Birgus, allied to the hermit crabs. They sometimes weigh twenty pounds or more, and are very strong, being able to crack cocoanuts with the large claw. They chiefly inhabit the tropical islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, living in holes and feeding upon fruit. Called also palm crab.

Purse net
a fishing net, the mouth of which may be closed or drawn together like a purse.

Purse pride
pride of money; insolence proceeding from the possession of wealth. - Mortimer.

Purse rat
(Zool.) See Pocket gopher, under Pocket. - Bp. Hall.

Sword and purse
the military power and financial resources of a nation.

v. t.

1.

To put into a purse.

[imp. & p. p. Pursed ; p. pr. & vb. n. Pursing.]

I will go and purse the ducats straight.

- Shak.

2.

To draw up or contract into folds or wrinkles, like the mouth of a purse; to pucker; to knit.

Thou . . . didst contract and purse thy brow.

- Shak.

v. i.

1.

To steal purses; to rob.

I'll purse: . . . I'll bet at bowling alleys.

- Beau. & Fl.

Related Words

Swiss bank account, abbreviate, and pence, assets, award, bag, balance, bank account, billfold, bottom dollar, bucks, budget, capital, cash, cash reserves, checking account, circumscribe, coarct, cocker, cockle, command of money, compact, compress, concentrate, condense, consolidate, constrict, constringe, contract, corrugate, cramp, crease, crimp, crimple, crinkle, crumple, curtail, decrease, dollars, dough, draw, draw in, draw together, exchequer, filthy lucre, finances, fund, funds, furrow, gift, handbag, income, kitty, knit, knot, life savings, lolly, loot, means, money, money belt, money clip, moneys, narrow, nest egg, pecuniary resources, pelf, pocket, pocketbook, poke, pool, porte-monnaie, pouch, pounds, present, prize, pucker, pucker up, purse strings, ready, reduce, reserves, resources, revenue, reward, riches, ridge, rimple, ripple, ruck, ruckle, rumple, savings, savings account, scratch, shekels, shillings, shirr, shorten, solidify, strangle, strangulate, substance, treasure, treasury, unregistered bank account, wallet, wealth, wherewithal, wimple, wrinkle

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Purposeless
Purposely
Purposer
Purposive
Purpre
Purpresture
Purprise
Purpura
Purpurate
Purpure
Purpureal
Purpureo-
Purpuric
Purpurin
Purpuriparous
Purpurogenous
Purr
Purre
Purree
Purrock
-Purse-
Purse crab
Purse net
Purse pride
Purse rat
Purse-proud
Purseful
Purser
Purser's name
Pursership
Purset
Pursiness
Pursive
Pursiveness
Purslain
Purslane
Purslane tree
Pursuable
Pursual
Pursuance
Pursuant

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