Dictionary Definition
pocketbook
Noun
1 your personal financial means; "that car is too
expensive for my pocketbook"
3 pocket-sized paperback book [syn: pocket book,
pocket
edition]
4 a bag used for carrying money and small
personal items or accessories (especially by women); "she reached
into her bag and found a comb" [syn: bag, handbag, purse]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Noun
- A woman's purse.
- One's personal budget or economic capacity - the amount one can afford.
- A small book,
especially one that can fit in a pocket; a paperback; also a pocket book.
-
- The publishers brought out small format pocketbooks of the whole of their nature series'.
- The kit is produced in three parts including a pocket book designed to fit into a shirt pocket for everyday on-the-job use, a more detailed guide and a training CD. The kit includes a hazard reporting and feedback notebook and hazard management process prompt cards to remind workers of common hazards they may encounter in day-to-day operations.
-
- A notebook that is
small enough to fit in a pocket.
-
- The police officer recorded all the salient information in his pocketbook at the time of the incident.
- PARKING ATTENDANT'S POCKET BOOK/NOTEBOOK The Parking Attendants (or Civil Enforcement Officers) shall maintain a separate pocket book in which they shall note daily details of their patrols, Penalty Charge Notice's issued, conversations with drivers etc. These books shall be kept in addition to any details entered into their handheld computers.''
-
Translations
woman's purse
- Finnish: käsilaukku
one's personal budget
- Finnish: lompakko
small book
- Finnish: taskukirja, pokkari
notebook
- Finnish: muistikirja, taskumuistio
References
Extensive Definition
In American
English, a purse is a small bag, also called a handbag or a
pocketbook.
In British
English, a purse is a small money container similar to a
wallet, but typically
used by women and including a compartment for coins, with a handbag being
considerably larger.
A purse or handbag is often fashionably
designed, and is used to hold items such as wallet, keys, tissues,
makeup, a hairbrush, cellular device or
personal digital assistant, feminine products, or other
items.
History
The first appearance of a bag is on Egyptian
hieroglyphics, which show pouches worn around the waist. The next
appearance is in 14th century Europe. In Europe they often showed
social status based on the embroidery and quality of the bag. At
this time the purses were for women mainly and were therefore
attached to their girdle.
In the 15th century, both men and women wore
purses. They were often finely embroidered or ornamented with gold.
It was also customary for men to give their new brides purses
embroidered with an illustration of a love story. Later in the
century, women, now wearing finer dresses, preferred to wear their
pouches under their skirts.
In the 16th century, handbags were made out of
common materials. They were leather and fastened with drawstring on
top. Large cloth bags were introduced and worn by travelers
diagonally across the body.
In the 17th century, bags became more complex and
elaborate. Girls were taught skills such as embroidery and
needlework, that could assist them in finding a husband. These
skills gave rise to stitched artwork on purses. Around the year
1670, men's breeches were made with built-in pockets, which caused
them to stop carrying purses. They did however carry little netted
purses in their pocket to carry money.
In the 18th century, as neo-classical clothing
came into fashion, women started carrying their handbags as not to
ruin their outfits. They named these bags reticules. Most women had
more than one, so that they could use a certain one for each
occasion. Contents of these bags might include rouge, face powder,
a fan, a scent bottle, visiting cards, a card case, and smelling
salts.
In the early 1900s people began calling their
bags, handbags. This term referred to luggage that men carried.
They then inspired women, who began carrying bags with complicated
fasteners, internal compartments, and locks. In the 1920s, it
became popular that bags no longer had to match your outfit. In the
1940s, with WWII, women's purses were made out of wood or plastic
since metal was being saved for supplies. In the 1950s, popular
handbag designers included Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Hermes. Today
these three brands are still popular, along with Gucci, Christian
Dior, Fendi, Prada, and Kate Spade, among many others.
Variations
The word purse is derived from the Latin , from
the Greek , meaning oxhide.
Purses are usually carried by women, though men
sometimes carry one as a smaller alternative to a backpack; such a purse is
sometimes termed a murse or manbag (portmanteaus "man" with
"purse" and "handbag" respectively). It can also be called a
man-purse. Such bags are often similar or identical to messenger
bags. Smaller children also use purses, but usually just for
show. Kiefer
Sutherland, of 24 fame,
brought the man-purse into the main stream through his character,
Jack
Bauer. Jack frequently prominently carried his messenger bag
with him in the 5th Season.
A medium-to-small-sized purse with a short
handle, designed to be carried (clutched) in one's hand is often
called a clutch.
A larger purse with two handles is often called a
tote.
A pocketbook is similar to a purse (in the
British English sense). It is a term more commonly used in the
eastern US.
A security bag protects the carrier from travel
theft. The purse includes an invisible stainless steel strap sewn
into the fabric and a protectant on the main zipper.
Types of handbags
- Coach (company)
- Family pocketbook
- It Bag
- Louis Vuitton
- RUEHL No.925 - an upscale brand from lifestyle brand and company Abercrombie & Fitch
- Vera Bradley
References
pocketbook in Guarani: Voko
pocketbook in German: Handtasche
pocketbook in Spanish: Bolso
pocketbook in Esperanto: Mansako
pocketbook in French: Sac à main
pocketbook in Dutch: Handtas
pocketbook in Portuguese: Bolsa (sacola)
pocketbook in Sicilian: Vurza
pocketbook in Finnish: Käsilaukku
pocketbook in Swedish: Handväska
pocketbook in Chinese: 手提包
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
Domesday Book, account book, address book,
adversaria, album, annual, appointment calendar,
appointment schedule, bag,
billfold, blankbook, blotter, calendar, cashbook, catalog, classified catalog,
commonplace book, court calendar, daybook, desk calendar, diary, diptych, docket, engagement book, handbag, journal, ledger, log, logbook, loose-leaf notebook,
memo book, memorandum book, memory book, money belt, money clip,
notebook, pad, petty cashbook, pocket, pocket notebook, poke, police blotter,
porte-monnaie, purse,
purse strings, scrapbook, scratch pad, spiral
notebook, table, tablet, triptych, wallet, workbook, writing tablet,
yearbook