bolso

See also: bolso-

Istriot

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian bolso.

Adjective

bolso

1. having difficulty breathing

References

• Antonio Pellizzer; Giovanni Pellizzer (1992), Vocabulario del dialetto di Rovigno d'Istria, page 149
• Cergna, Sandro (2015), Vocabolario del dialetto di Valle d'Istria‎^[1], →ISBN, →OCLC

Italian

Etymology

From Latin vŭlsus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbol.so/
• Rhymes: -olso
• Hyphenation: ból‧so

Adjective

bolso (feminine bolsa, masculine plural bolsi, feminine plural bolse)

1. having difficulty breathing (of a horse)
2. (figurative) pompous, inconclusive, unsuccessful, ineffectual, vague, vain

Synonyms

• debole, stanco, fiacco, spossato

Derived terms

• imbolsire

Mirandese

Noun

bolso m (plural bolsos)

1. pocket

Synonyms

• algebeira, jabeira, jibeira

Portuguese

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Portuguese bolsa

Proto-Indo-European *-om

Proto-Italic *-om

Latin -um

Old Galician-Portuguese -o

Portuguese -o

Portuguese bolso

From bolsa + -o (forms the masculine).

Alternative forms

• bôlso (pre-reform spelling)

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbow.su/ [ˈboʊ̯.su]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈbol.su/ [ˈboɫ.su]

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -olsu, (Brazil) -owsu
• Hyphenation: bol‧so

Noun

bolso m (plural bolsos, metaphonic)

1. pocket

   Este casaco não tem bolsos.

   This coat doesn't have pockets.

2. (figuratively) one's finances or acquisitive power

   Na minha idade, um homem deve se preocupar não com o seu corpo mas com o seu bolso.

   At my age, a man needs to worry not about his body but about his pocket.

Usage notes

The plural may be pronounced with either /o/ or /ɔ/.

Derived terms

• desembolsar
• reembolsar, rembolsar

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔw.su/ [ˈbɔʊ̯.su]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔl.su/ [ˈbɔɫ.su]

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -ɔlsu, (Brazil) -ɔwsu
• Hyphenation: bol‧so

Verb

bolso

1. first-person singular present indicative of bolsar

Further reading

• “bolso”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN
• “bolso”, in Dicionário Infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “bolso”, in Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisboa: Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, 2001–2026
• “bolso”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026
• “bolso”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

From bolsa. Compare English purse and burse.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbolso/ [ˈbol.so]

• Audio (Venezuela):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -olso
• Syllabification: bol‧so

Noun

bolso m (plural bolsos)

1. purse
2. bag
3. handbag
4. pouch
5. sac, tote

Hyponyms

• bolso de viaje (“duffel bag, overnight bag, travel bag”)

Derived terms

• bolsillo
• bolsito
• bolsón
• tirón de bolso

Further reading

• “bolso”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Anagrams

• bolos
• lobos