Word of the Day
: May 11, 2011pursy
playWhat It Means
1 : having a puckered appearance
2 : purse-proud
pursy in Context
"There was a picture of a pale gent with a narrow face and a woman with dark eyes and a pursy mouth." -- From Stephen King's 1987 novel Misery
"Colleagues exchange amused looks at the way Byrd kept circling the chamber, a little scrawny fellow with … a pursy mouth…." -- From Burton Hersh's 2010 book Edward Kennedy: An Intimate Biography
Did You Know?
There are two adjectives spelled "pursy," each with its own etymology. The one we've featured above dates from the mid-16th century and has its source in the noun "purse" ("a receptacle for carrying money and other small objects"); a drawstring purse's puckered appearance is the inspiration. The other "pursy" (pronounced PUH-see or PER-see) dates from the 15th century and, like the first, has two meanings: "short-winded especially because of corpulence" and "fat." This "pursy" comes from the Old French word "pousser," meaning "to exert pressure" or "to breathe heavily" -- the same word, etymologists believe, behind the word "push."
Test Your Vocabulary with M-W Quizzes
Word Family Quiz
What relative of "pursy" refers to an officer on a ship whose job is to handle matters relating to money for the passengers and crew and to make sure passengers are comfortable and have what they need? The answer is ...
