PURSE. In Turkey the sum of five hundred dollars is called a purse. Merch. Dict. h.t.

Source: Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)
 

Purse \Purse\, n. [OE. purs, pors, OF. burse, borse, bourse, F. bourse, LL. bursa, fr. Gr. ? 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]

Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
 

Purse \Purse\, 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]

Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
 

Purse \Purse\, v. i. To steal purses; to rob. [Obs. & R.]

[1913 Webster]

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

Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
 

111 Moby Thesaurus words for "purse": 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

Source: Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
 

purse

Source: WordNet (r) 2.0
 

Purse \Purse\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pursed; p. pr. & vb. n. Pursing.]

1. To put into a purse.

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.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
 

Purse \Purse\, n. [OE. purs, pors, OF. burse, borse, bourse, F. bourse, LL. bursa, fr. Gr. ? 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.

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; as:
   (a) In Turkey, the sum of 500 piasters.
   (b) In Persia, the sum of 50 tomans.

Light purse, or Empty purse, poverty or want of resources.

Long purse, or Heavy purse, wealth; riches.

Purse crab (Zo["o]l.), 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. (Zo["o]l.) See Pocket gopher, under Pocket.

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

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
 

Purse \Purse\, v. i. To steal purses; to rob. [Obs. & R.]

I'll purse: . . . I'll bet at bowling alleys. --Beau. & Fl.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)