purser

[pur-ser]

noun

1. an officer on a ship who handles financial accounts and various documents relating to the ship and who keeps money and valuables for passengers.

purser

/ ˈpɜːsə /

noun

1. an officer aboard a passenger ship, merchant ship, or aircraft who keeps the accounts and attends to the welfare of the passengers

Word History and Origins

Origin of purser¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; purse, -er ¹

Example Sentences

The brothers made their professional debut as children, when their father put them on a boat to Detroit to visit an uncle and told the purser the boys would put on a free show.

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“Those include the fish processing workers, U.S. Coast Guard licensed personnel, refrigeration specialists, marine electricians, fish crews, pursers, cooks and others.”

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“We’ve nothing at the moment,” the purser said as he sent me off to explore, “but we’ll get back to you.”

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For veteran El Al purser Hedva Opatovsky, the flight marked a fitting final journey for her 46 years of air travel.

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After the war, Harold studied chemistry, physics and maths at Cardiff University, before initially deciding to re-join the Merchant Navy as an assistant purser.

Read more on BBC