Difference Between Pocketbook and Purse
Everyone is likely to carry their phone, keys, and wallet in their tote bag. The wallet is a common item that people take with them every day in their women’s office bags or even backpacks. You will need a wallet regardless of your line of work, whether you're a student, a working professional, or simply a person traveling on a holiday. It holds and keeps close by your cash, credit/debit cards, business cards, driver's license, bills, keys, and a variety of other essentials. Another thing that belongs to the bag and wallet family is a purse.
What is a purse you ask? I’m sure you already know but for all those of you that don’t, it’s simply something that you use to store money or other important things like you do in one of your wallets. You can hang this around your shoulder like a shoulder bag or just carry it in your hand. Similarly, another addition to the money-storing organizer is a pocketbook. Pocketbook as the name suggests is meant to be inside of your pocket which naturally means it’s smaller in size compared to that of a clutch or purse. But that’s not its only meaning. People from different regions and of different ages refer to a pocketbook with different meanings. Now that that’s off the table we can go through the difference between a pocketbook and a purse in detail.
An outdated phrase for something that may easily fit into a pocket or other small space is a pocketbook. Although the term "pocketbook" didn't first enter common usage until the 1600s, it was almost immediately adopted to refer to a wallet or money holder, among other things. The term is typically used to denote these things by Americans. Even then, it usually originates from people who were raised in the southern states, the New England region, or other regions of the country.
A purse is also something referred to as containing money bills and cash. These are considered comparatively more fashionable and something you’d wear in the evening. Honestly, there’s no definitive answer in the debate about a pocketbook vs purse. What is the difference between a purse and a pocketbook can be answered with a few different and contextual reasons.
For example, some ladies refer to their "evening" bag as a purse and their "day" bag as a pocketbook. Depending on the time of day, it appears that both terms may even be used to describe the same bag. They’d typically say "Dinner sounds delicious! Let me grab my purse, and “it's time for lunch!" Let me just go get my pocketbook.
Another debate people get themselves into is with respect to the size. Some say the pocketbook is like a pocket wallet hence it is smaller in size, and some say no it’s the purse that is smaller in size and a pocketbook is just like a classic wallet hence bigger in size. Using these words interchangeably is also a generational thing. Kids of the new generation do not bother as both hold the same value to them, whereas traditional people are seen using the term pocketbook more often.
