purser

American  

[pur-ser] / ˈpɜr sər /

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.

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purser British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of purser

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

Example Sentences

In 1970, Ms. Laffey Inman, a union leader and Northwest’s first female purser — the lead attendant on a flight — spearheaded a class-action suit, Laffey v.

From New York Times • Feb. 19, 2024

Davies, originally from Cheshire, began his TV career as an announcer on Southern Television in 1960, having previously spent seven years as a purser for the cruise company Cunard Line.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2023

Megan Allison, the ship’s purser, is filling in as cook the first night.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 15, 2016

I’d look up from time to time, studying my fellow passengers and the crew: the captain in the wheelhouse, the purser counting the take.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 31, 2014

Mr. Pollock and Mr. Pursell undertook the posts of purser and carpenter.

From The Cruise of the 'Alerte' The narrative of a search for treasure on the desert island of Trinidad by Knight, E. F. (Edward Frederick)