purse

 
Pronunciation: /pəːs/

noun

  • 1chiefly British a small pouch of leather or plastic used for carrying money, typically by a woman: she had enough in her purse for bus fare
  • the money possessed by or available to a person or country: institutions are funded from the same general purse
  • a sum of money given as a prize in a sporting contest, especially a boxing match: a fight for which his purse was $400,000
  • 2North American a handbag: a young woman with a purse hanging from her elbow

verb

  • (with reference to the lips) pucker or contract, typically to express disapproval or irritation: [with object]: Marianne took a glance at her reflection and pursed her lips disgustedly [no object]: under stress his lips would purse slightly

Phrases

hold the purse strings

have control of expenditure: the power and the influence lie with the person who holds the purse strings

tighten (or loosen) the purse strings

restrict (or increase) the amount of money available to be spent: the job losses were the result of a tightening of the purse strings throughout the Civil Service

Origin:

late Old English, alteration of late Latin bursa 'purse', from Greek bursa 'hide, leather'. The current verb sense (from the notion of drawing purse strings) dates from the early 17th century