n. [ OE. purs, pors, OF. burse, borse, bourse, F. bourse, LL. bursa, fr. Gr. &unr_; hide, skin, leather. Cf. Bourse, Bursch, Bursar, Buskin. ] 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. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Who steals my purse steals trash. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence, a treasury; finances; as, the public purse. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A sum of money offered as a prize, or collected as a present; as, to win the purse; to make up a purse. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A specific sum of money; as: (a) In Turkey, the sum of 500 piasters. (b) In Persia, the sum of 50 tomans. [ 1913 Webster ]

Light purse, or
Empty purse, poverty or want of resources. --
Long purse, or
Heavy 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. Mortimer. --
Purse pride, pride of money; insolence proceeding from the possession of wealth. Bp. Hall. --
Purse rat. (Zool.) See Pocket gopher, under Pocket. --
Sword and purse, the military power and financial resources of a nation. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Pursed p. pr. & vb. n. Pursing. ] 1. To put into a purse. [ 1913 Webster ]

I will go and purse the ducats straight. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To draw up or contract into folds or wrinkles, like the mouth of a purse; to pucker; to knit. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thou . . . didst contract and purse thy brow. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To steal purses; to rob. [ Obs. & R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

I'll purse: . . . I'll bet at bowling alleys. Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Pursefuls All that is, or can be, contained in a purse; enough to fill a purse. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Affected with purse pride; puffed up with the possession of riches. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Purse, and cf. Bursar. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Naut.) A commissioned officer in the navy who had charge of the provisions, clothing, and public moneys on shipboard; -- now called paymaster. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A clerk on steam passenger vessels whose duty it is to keep the accounts of the vessels, such as the receipt of freight, tickets, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Colloquially, any paymaster or cashier. [ 1913 Webster ]

Purser's name (Naut.), a false name. [ Slang ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The office of purser. Totten. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A purse or purse net. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]