Purse or handbag? Today we tend to use these two words interchangeably without ever batting an eye. But, should we look back, we would find that that was not always the case. So join me in a brief look into history to find out where these two words originated and what they started out meaning. The term purse came about from more formal, advanced in age, ladies. The purse was considered to be very small, almost pouch-like, about the size of a mans wallet. They usually had a metal clasp and were not able to carry much at all. Hence, came the coin purse or change purse.