The term bursar, referring to the treasurer of a university, originated in the late sixteenth century as burser. It was sometimes spelled bursor or bourser, but bursar became the standard term in the late eighteenth century and has been consistently used since then. The word is derived from the Latin bursa, meaning “purse”, which is also the source of English words like purse, bourse (a type of stock exchange), and bursitis (a form of joint inflammation; the link being the swelling resembling a large purse). The Latin term itself comes from an Ancient Greek word with the same sound, meaning “hide”, as early purses were made from animal hides. An interesting observation is that the Google search frequency for the term bursar peaks every August and January – likely due to college enrollment payments.
