pursy

[ pur-see ]

/ ˈpɜr si /

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adjective, pur·si·er, pur·si·est.

short-winded, especially from corpulence or fatness.

corpulent or fat.

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Origin of pursy

1400–50; late Middle English purcy, variant of Middle English pursif<Anglo-French porsif, variant of Old French polsif, derivative (see -ive) of polser to pant, heave. See push

OTHER WORDS FROM pursy

pur·si·ly, adverbpur·si·ness, noun

Words nearby pursy

pursuer, pursuing, pursuit, pursuit plane, pursuivant, pursy, purtenance, purty, purulence, purulent, purulent inflammation

Other definitions for pursy (2 of 2)

pursy²

[ pur-see ]

/ ˈpɜr si /

adjective, purs·i·er, purs·i·est.

vain about one's wealth; purse-proud.

Origin of pursy

First recorded in 1545–55; purse + -y¹

How to use pursy in a sentence

As Coronado lounged into the main doorway he was run against by a short, pursy old gentleman who was rushing out.
Overland|John William De Forest
Oh, they will allow good qualities to nobody: not even good nature to our friend Mrs. Pursy.
The Ontario Readers: The High School Reader, 1886|Ministry of Education
There was a big pursy body, almost as large as his thumb, and of the very snowiest white that Freckles ever had seen.
Freckles|Gene Stratton-Porter
Big pursy caterpillars could not be picked from their favourite bushes, when there were no bushes.
A Girl Of The Limberlost|Gene Stratton Porter

By lavender feet clung a big, pursy, lavender-splotched, yellow body.
A Girl Of The Limberlost|Gene Stratton Porter

British Dictionary definitions for pursy

pursy

/ (ˈpɜːsɪ) /

adjective

short-winded

archaic fat; overweight

Word Origin for pursy

C15: alteration of earlier pursive, from Anglo-French porsif, ultimately from Latin pulsāre to pulsate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012