Purser \Purs"er\, n. [See Purse, and cf. Bursar.]
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   1. (Naut.) A commissioned officer in the navy who had charge
      of the provisions, clothing, and public moneys on
      shipboard; -- now called paymaster.
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   2. A clerk on steam passenger vessels whose duty it is to
      keep the accounts of the vessels, such as the receipt of
      freight, tickets, etc.
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   3. Colloquially, any paymaster or cashier.
      [1913 Webster]

   Purser's name (Naut.), a false name. [Slang]
      [1913 Webster]

	

	purser
    n 1: an officer aboard a ship who keeps accounts and attends to
         the passengers' welfare

	

	56 Moby Thesaurus words for "purser":
   accountant, auditor, bakehead, black gang, boilerman, bookkeeper,
   bungs, bursar, cabin boy, cashier, cashkeeper, chamberlain, chips,
   commissary steward, compensator, complement, comptroller,
   controller, curator, deckhand, deckie, defrayer, depositary,
   depository, financial officer, fireman, gun loader, gunner, hand,
   hospital steward, landing signalman, liquidator, mail orderly,
   navigator, oiler, payer, paymaster, purse bearer, radio operator,
   ratepayer, receiver, recompenser, remunerator, roustabout, snip,
   snips, sparks, steward, stewardess, stoker, taxpayer, torpedoman,
   treasurer, trustee, watch, yeoman

	

	PURSER. The person appointed by the master of a ship or vessel, whose duty 
it is to take care of the ship's books, in which everything on board is 
inserted, as well the names of mariners as the articles of merchandise 
shipped. Rosc. Ins. note. 
     2. The act of congress concerning the naval establishment, passed March 
30, 1812, provides, Sec. 6, That the pursers in the Navy of the United 
States shall be appointed by the president of the United States, by and with 
the advice and consent of the senate; and that, from and after the first day 
of May next, no person shall act in the character of purser, who shall not 
have been thus first nominated and appointed, excepting pursers on distant 
service, who shall not remain in service after the first day of July next, 
unless nominated and appointed as aforesaid. And every purser, before 
entering upon the duties of his office, shall give bond, with two or more 
sufficient sureties, in the penalty of ten thousand dollars, conditioned 
faithfully to perform all the duties of purser in the United States. 
     3. And by the supplementary act to this act concerning the naval 
establishment, passed March 1, 1817, it is enacted, Sec. 1, That every 
purser now in service, or who may hereafter be appointed, shall, instead of 
the bond required by the act to which this is a supplement, enter into bond, 
with two or more sufficient sureties, in the penalty of twenty-five thousand 
dollars, conditioned for the faithful discharge of all his duties as purser 
in the navy of the United States, which said sureties shall be approved by 
the judge or attorney of the United States for the district in which such 
purser shall reside.