Welcome back to Chicks, Chat and Change. I am Ann Zuraw.

Did you ever wonder why we have so many names for purses? We call them handbags, pocketbooks and a short and simple name, a bag. I was curious so I did some research to see how these names have transpired over the years.

The purse started out as a small pouch that carried only coins. The pocketbook was actually just that—a book that you kept notes in and then went into your pocket. Some people think that the term bag came from misunderstanding the word book in pocketbook. With certain dialects, it sounded a lot like the word bag.

What we call our purses is probably based on our age and what part of the world we live in. For example, the English call their wallet a purse. Their purse then goes inside their handbag.

If you are from up north, you probably refer to it as your pocketbook. But if it is a designer bag, you might be very specific and refer to it by the name of the designer and might say Please pass my Kate Spade or Louis Vuitton Handbag.

You may say tomato and I may say tomato. It really doesn’t matter what we call it as long as we know what’s inside!

Questions from AZ.