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.

From Washington Post

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

From Seattle Times

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

From New York Times

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

From Washington Times

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.

From BBC