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

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

The place is run efficiently and with zest by veterans of South African Airways, Theunis Botha, who was a purser, and Denise Potter, who was an air hostess.

From New York Times • Apr. 11, 2019

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

The purser of those days was taken from an inferior class of men, and often obtained his position by influence, rather than merit.

From The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 1 by Whymper, Frederick