1. [n]  a bag used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women); "she reached into her bag and found a comb"
2. [n]  a small bag for carrying money
3. [n]  a sum of money offered as a prize; "the purse barely covered the winner's expenses"
4. [n]  a sum of money spoken of as the contents of a money purse; "he made the contribution out of his own purse"; "he and his wife shared a common purse"
5. [v]  contract one's lips into a rounded shape
6. [v]  gather or contract into wrinkles or folds; pucker; "purse ones's lips"

1. \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.
   

2. \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.
   

3. \Purse\, v. i.
   To steal purses; to rob. [Obs. & R.]
         I'll purse: . . . I'll bet at bowling alleys. --Beau. &
                                                  Fl.
   

(1.) Gr. balantion, a bag (Luke 10:4; 22:35, 36).

(2.) Gr. zone, properly a girdle (Matt. 10:9; Mark 6:8), a money-belt. As to our Lord's sending forth his disciples without money in their purses, the remark has been made that in this "there was no departure from the simple manners of the country. At this day the farmer sets out on excursions quite as extensive without a para in his purse; and a modern Moslem prophet of Tarshisha thus sends forth his apostles over this identical region. No traveller in the East would hestitate to throw himself on the hospitality of any village." Thomson's Land and the Book. (See SCRIP.)