What is the difference between a purse and a handbag?

Answer 1

There really is no difference. Purse and handbag are mostly interchangeable. Handbag is most often used by the industry, purse is used by ordinary people. There's also a certain amount of regionalism to the words, some areas prefer one over the other. Also, age factors into the use of the words. Old women tend to use neither purse nor handbag and often use the word "pocketbook" to confuse matters. Whatever you word you use, most people will know what you are talking about.

So parochial. In the rest of the world a purse is for carrying money and cards. A handbag is an often capacious cloth or leather(ette) receptacle that holds not only a purse but also the other mysterious paraphernalia that women insist on unnecessarily toting around everywhere.

Answer:

Purses are smaller than handbags.