purse

purse · noun, verb¹

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromβύρσα“hide, wine-skin”
2. Medieval Latin · derived frombursa“leather bag”
3. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*pusô“bag, sack, scrip”
4. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*pusō
5. Old English · inherited frompurs“purse”
6. Middle English · inherited frompurs
7. English todaypurse

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”).

Purse · proper noun²

1. Middle English · derived frompurse
2. English todayPurse

A metonymic occupational surname for someone who made bags or purses, from Middle English purse.

Words from the same roots