Learn English – “pocketbook” for “wallet” in AmEng vernacular

american-englishgender-positiveregionalusagevernacular

Is pocketbook a common term for wallet in AmEng vernacular, or is it primarily recognized as another word for "purse/handbag"?

If indeed a relatively commonly used word for "wallet/billfold," how do these terms differ from each other?

pocketbook:

1. A purse; a handbag.

  1. A pocket-sized folder or case used to hold money and papers; a billfold American Heritage® Dictionary

1: often pocket book : a small especially paperback book that can be carried in the pocket

2: a flat typically leather folding case for money or personal papers that can be carried in a pocket or handbag

3
a : purse
b : handbag 2 M-W

: (a) carnet; (b) NAm: (ii) portefeuille; (iii) sac à main; (c) NAm: livre de poche (Source: Harrap's New Shorter French and English Dictionary)

US A wallet, purse, or handbag: she dug a couple of aspirin out of her pocketbook ODO

  1. British.

a notebook for carrying in one's pocket.

a wallet or billfold . Random House

wallet:

A flat pocket-sized folding case, usually made of leather, for holding paper money, cards, or photographs; a billfold.

billfold:

A folding pocket-sized case for carrying paper money, small personal documents, and sometimes change.

Best Answer

This interesting extract says the term "pocketbook", referring to a purse, is becoming less common also in the U.S. where it is used to refer to a (hard sided) handbag

  • The largest difference between Canadians and Americans was the American use of the old English term ‘pocketbook’ which originated from a type of wallet that fit into the pocket in the 18th century The term was first used to describe a woman’s hard sided handbag in 1816, as opposed to a drawstring closed soft-sided reticule (aka dorothy bag).

  • Pocketbook is now an archaic word in England and Canada and becoming increasingly scarce in the U.S. but is still used by some to describe the difference between a soft and hard sided handbag.

  • For the English, a wallet is a masculine style of purse, whereas in North America there are men’s and ladie’s wallets, with men’s wallets (aka billfolds) being smaller to fit into back pockets of trousers (or as Americans would say – pants).

(kickshawproductions.com)

enter image description here a pocketbook purse.

Related Topic