imburse
/ɪmˈbəːs/
"imburse" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“imburse” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To put into a purse; to save, to store up.
Corpus desk
Index EN-imburse · imburse · English
imburse · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "I" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | imburse |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɪmˈbəːs/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “imburse” in English
Rare enough to double-check
imburse is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪmˈbəːs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for imburse in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Medieval Latin imbursāre, Late Latin imbursāre, from Latin im- (variant of in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside’ usually affixed to verbs)) + bursa (“animal skin, oxhide; purse (usually made of leather or skin); supply of money, funds”) (from Ancient Greek … The correct English form is imburse, spelled I-M-B-U-R-S-E.
Definition
- 1To put into a purse; to save, to store up.
- 2To give money to, to pay; to stock or supply with money.
- 3To pay back money that is owed; to refund, to repay, to reimburse.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how imburse appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
[T]he then existing Signors and the colleagues, feeling themselves possessed of sufficient power, assumed the authority to fix upon the Signors that would have to sit during the next forty months, by putting their names into a bag or purse, and drawing them every two months. But, before the expiration of the forty months, many citizens were jealous that t…
Pit 3, the tomb of Simoniacs, is perforated throughout bottom and sides with round holes, 'purses' in which these money-sinners are imbursed from sight, head downward and within the earth, while their feet writhe without, licked by the fire which torments offenders directly against God.
Etymology
From Medieval Latin imbursāre, Late Latin imbursāre, from Latin im- (variant of in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside’ usually affixed to verbs)) + bursa (“animal skin, oxhide; purse (usually made of leather or skin); supply of money, funds”) (from Ancient Greek βῠ́ρσᾰ (bŭ́rsă, “animal skin; skin stripped off a hide”)); analysable as im- + burse. The word is cognate with Old French enborser (modern French embourser), Italian imborsare, Spanish embolsar (“to bag”).
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.