I. ˈpərs noun
Etymology: Middle English purs, from Old English, modification of Medieval Latin bursa, from Late Latin, ox hide, from Greek byrsa
Date: before 12th century
1.
a.
(1) : a small bag for money
(2) : a receptacle (as a pocketbook) for carrying money and often other small objects
b. : a receptacle (as a pouch) shaped like a purse
2.
a. : resources, funds
b. : a sum of money offered as a prize or present ; also : the total amount of money offered in prizes for a given event
• purse·like -ˌlīk adjective
II. transitive verb
( pursed ; purs·ing )
Date: 14th century
1. : to put into a purse
2. : pucker , knit
pursed his brow