What does bursary mean?
Word: Bursary
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Bursary means money given to a student, usually by a college or university, to help pay for their studies.
How do you spell bursary?
Syllables: bur - sa - ry
Tricky part: The ending is weak in speech, and pupils who know nursery often write bursery.
Watch out for: bursery, bursory
Memory tip: In your head, stretch the vowel near the end to sound like the one in car. That slightly odd voice keeps the right letter in place.
Bursary in a sentence
Example 1: Lena won a bursary that covers her hostel fees at college.
Example 2: The charity offers a bursary to bright students from village schools.
Example 3: Without the bursary, Oscar could not have studied engineering in Edinburgh.
Fun Fact
The word goes back to the Latin bursa, a word for a purse, which is a neat fit for a gift of money that helps someone study.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
b_r_ary
a) u, c
b) u, s
c) i, s
d) e, s
Show answer
b) u, s. Turn has the vowel you need first, and the sound after it is the plain hissing letter, not a c.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Her teachers were delighted when the university awarded her a burrsary for the whole course.
a) teachers
b) university
c) burrsary
d) delighted
Show answer
c) burrsary. One r is enough in the opening beat.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
sarubry
a) bursary
b) blustery
c) bravery
d) buttery
Show answer
a) bursary. There is no e among the letters, and each of the other words has one.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
bursary
a) timetable
b) certificate
c) scholarship
d) tuition
Show answer
c) scholarship. Each one helps a student pay for an education.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Who is the best fit for a bursary?
a) a young cricketer who wants new batting gloves
b) a retired teacher who wants a long holiday
c) a bright pupil whose family cannot meet the fees
d) a shopkeeper who wants to open a new branch
Show answer
c) a bright pupil whose family cannot meet the fees
2. How does a bursary differ from a bank loan?
a) it does not have to be paid back
b) it must be repaid with interest
c) it is only for older workers
d) it can only be spent on land
Show answer
a) it does not have to be paid back
