cutpurse

cut·purse

C c

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [kuht-purs]
- /ˈkʌtˌpɜrs/
- /ˈkʌt.pɜːs/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [kuht-purs]
- /ˈkʌtˌpɜrs/

Definitions of cutpurse word

noun cutpurse a thief who stole purses by cutting them from the belts to which they were attached 3
noun cutpurse a pickpocket 3
noun cutpurse Older Use. a pickpocket. 1
noun cutpurse (formerly) a person who steals by cutting purses from the belt. 1
noun cutpurse A thief who steals from others' purses or pockets in public. 1

See all 5 definitions of cutpurse

Information block about the term

Origin of cutpurse

First appearance:

before 1325

One of the 16% oldest English words

First recorded in 1325-75, cutpurse is from the Middle English word cutte-purs. See cut, purse

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Cutpurse

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Cutpurse

cutpurse popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 50% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 63% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

cutpurse usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for cutpurse

noun cutpurse

thief — a person who steals, especially secretly or without open force; one guilty of theft or larceny.
dipper — the group of seven bright stars in Ursa Major resembling a dipper in outline.
finger — any of the terminal members of the hand, especially one other than the thumb.
sneak thief — a burglar who sneaks into houses through open doors, windows, etc.

All 4 Synonyms of cutpurse