Pusser

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A particular rank or role within the navy signifies a member involved in military operations
2. A naval officer responsible for handling supplies and provisions on a ship ; a colloquial term used to refer to British Royal Navy sailors
3. A person in charge of managing and distributing goods and stores aboard a naval vessel ; an informal label for someone serving in the British navy

Etymology: Pusser is a dialect form of purser, the ship's officer who kept the stores, provisions, and accounts. Purser comes from Medieval Latin "bursarius", a keeper of a purse, from "bursa", meaning purse, which is also the root of bursar. Sailors' pronunciation dropped the vowel to give the shorter form. Because the purser issued the crew's rations, including the daily rum allowance, the name became closely tied to naval life. Its use as a nickname for Royal Navy sailors grew from that association. The rum brand Pusser's takes its name from the same naval rum issue. In naval slang, something described as "pusser's" is standard issue or done strictly by the book, which reflects the purser's role as the keeper of official stores.