喜樂美語

A small soft bag for money, closed by pulling a string so the mouth gathers shut. Two things come out of that picture: what is inside (so the word can stand for the money you have to spend), and the closing itself (so pulling your lips into a tight little circle is to purse them).

可以想成：一個裝錢的小軟袋，靠一條繩子一拉，袋口就皺起來收緊。這個畫面往兩邊長：一邊是「裡面的東西」——所以 purse 也能代表一個人或一個國家能花的錢；另一邊是「收緊的動作」——所以把嘴唇抿成一個小圈，英文也用同一個字。至於這個袋子到底長什麼樣，英式和美式的講法差很多，得分開記。

From the word’s history

Etymonline notes the verb sense 'draw together and wrinkle' appears around 1600, from drawing together the strings of a money bag — which is why 'purse your lips' means to pull them into a tight little circle.

根據 Etymonline，purse 當動詞的「收攏、皺起」用法約在 1600 年前後出現，來自「把錢袋的繩子拉緊」這個動作；這正是 purse your lips（把嘴唇抿成小圈）的由來，跟錢袋是同一個畫面。

Etymonline, https://www.etymonline.com/word/purse

登入就可以看每一支怎麼連回核心畫面。

容易混在一起的字在訂閱裡。容易混在一起的字需要訂閱帳號。

n複數 purses

v過去式 pursed過去分詞 pursed-ing pursing三單 purses

意思相近

walletfundspuckercoin pursebudgettightenmoney bagmeanspress togetherchange purseresourcespouch+8

意思相反

smilegrin

原始詞典資料9 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

Pursename/pɜːs/

  • 1

    A surname from Middle English.

pursenoun/pɜːs/

  • 1

    A small bag for carrying money.

    • And then muſt many a man occupie as farre as his purſe would reache, and ſtretche out his legges accordynge to the length of his couerlet.
  • 2

    A handbag (small bag usually used by women for carrying various small personal items)

    • Master leathercrafter does handcrafted wallets, belts, purses, handbags etc., supporting self and helpers. Good enough to carve fantst art and portraits into leather.
  • 3

    A quantity of money given for a particular purpose.

    • It was a historic and a hefty battle when Myler and Percy were scheduled to don the gloves for the purse of fifty sovereigns.
  • 4

    historicalA specific sum of money in certain countries: formerly 500 piastres in Turkey or 50 tomans in Persia.

purseverb/pɜːs/

  • 1

    To press (one's lips) in and together so that they protrude.

    • 1901, Matilde Serao, The Land of Cockayne, translator not credited, London: Heinemann, Chapter IV, p. 72, https://archive.org/details/landofcockayne00seraiala The serving Sister pursed up her lips to remind him of the cloistral rule, almost as if she wanted to prevent any conversation between him and the nun.
    • Anton Ivanovich pursed up his lower lip so that his grey moustache pressed against the tip of his red pitted nose, took in all the officials with his rounded eyes, and after an unavoidable pause emitted a fat unctuous laugh.
  • 2

    To draw up or contract into folds or wrinkles; to pucker; to knit.

    • […] thou […] didst contract and purse thy brow together, / As if thou then hadst shut up in thy brain / Some horrible conceit: […]
    • Upon hearing Billy's version, the sage Dansker seemed to divine more than he was told; and after a little meditation during which his wrinkles were pursed as into a point, quite effacing for the time that quizzing expression his face sometimes wore, "Didn't I say so, Baby Budd?"
  • 3

    To put into a purse.

    • And I will go and purse the ducats straight,
  • 4

    obsoleterareTo steal purses; to rob.

    • Why I'll purse; if that raise me not, I'll bet at bowling alleys, or man whores: I would fain live by others.

摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。