A variant or dialectal form, possibly referring to a purse, pouch, or bag; also a nautical term.
Possibly from Dutch beurs (purse) or related to 'bulge' from Proto-Germanic. The exact origin is obscure and varies by regional dialect.
Naval records from the 1600s mention 'bulse' as a small container sailors kept for personal items—it's the kind of word that survived only in seafaring communities, hidden in ship logs!
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