English
account
Pronunciation
  • (America) IPA: /ə.ˈkaʊnt/
Etymology 1

From Middle English acounte, from Anglo-Norman acunte, from Old French aconte, from aconter ("to reckon"), from Latin computō.

Noun

account (plural accounts)

  1. (accounting) A registry of pecuniary transactions; a written or printed statement of business dealings or debts and credits, and also of other things subjected to a reckoning or review. [from c. 1300]
  2. (banking) A bank account.
    • 1910, Journal of the American Bankers Association Vol. XI, No. 1, American Bankers Association, page 3:
      The Pueblo bank has advised that the operator opened an account at that bank with currency, and a few days later withdrew the amount.
  3. A statement in general of reasons, causes, grounds, etc., explanatory of some event; a reason of an action to be done.
    Synonyms: accounting, explanation
    No satisfactory account has been given of these phenomena.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Luke 16:2 ↗:
      Give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
  4. A reason, grounds, consideration, motive; a person's sake.
    Don't trouble yourself on my account.
    on no account
    on every account
    on all accounts
    • 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 16]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC ↗:
      […] who evidently a glutton for work, it struck him, was having a quiet forty winks for all intents and purposes on his own private account while Dublin slept.
  5. A record of events; a relation or narrative. [from c. 1610]
    Synonyms: narrative, narration, relation, recital, report, description, explanation
    An account of a battle.
    • 1657, Jam. Howel [i.e., James Howell], Londinopolis; an Historicall Discourse or Perlustration of the City of London, the Imperial Chamber, and Chief Emporium of Great Britain: […], London: […] J[ohn] Streater, for Henry Twiford, George Sawbridge, Thomas Dring, and John Place, […], →OCLC ↗:
      A laudible account of the city of London.
  6. An estimate or estimation; valuation; judgment.
  7. Importance; worth; value; esteem; judgement.
    • 1725, Homer, “Book XIV”, in [Alexander Pope], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume III, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC ↗, footnote:
      There is a peculiarity in Homer's manner of apostrophizing Eumaeus, and speaking of him in the second person; it is generally apply'd by that Poet only to men of account and distinction, and by it the Poet, as it were, adresses them with respect
  8. Authorization as a specific registered user in accessing a system.
    Synonyms: membership, registration
    Meronym: username
    I've opened an account with Wikipedia so that I can contribute and take part in the project.
  9. (archaic) A reckoning; computation; calculation; enumeration; a record of some reckoning.
    • 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
      It seems that this severity weakened his frame, for three years syne come Martinmas he was taken ill with a fever of the bowels, and after a week's sickness he went to his account, where I trust he is accepted.
  10. (uncountable) Profit; advantage.
    The young man soon turned his woodworking skills to some account.
    • 1726 October 27, [Jonathan Swift], Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver's Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC ↗, part I (A Voyage to Lilliput):
      I removed from the Old Jewry to Fetter Lane, and from thence to Wapping, hoping to get business among the sailors; but it would not turn to account.
Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Etymology 2

From Old French acounter, accomptere et al.

Verb

account (accounts, present participle accounting; simple past and past participle accounted)

  1. To provide explanation.
    1. (obsolete, transitive) To present an account of; to answer for, to justify. [14th]
    2. (intransitive, now rare) To give an account of financial transactions, money received etc. [from 14th c.]
    3. (transitive) To estimate, consider (something to be as described). [from 14th c.]
      Synonyms: Thesaurus:deem
      • 1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, chapter 8, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC ↗, book III (The Modern Worker):
        The Pagan Hercules, why was he accounted a hero?
    4. (intransitive) To consider that. [from 14th c.]
      • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Hebrews 11:19 ↗:
        Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
    5. (intransitive) To give a satisfactory evaluation for financial transactions, money received etc. [from 15th c.]
      An officer must account with or to the treasurer for money received.
    6. (intransitive) To give a satisfactory evaluation for (one's actions, behaviour etc.); to answer for. [from 16th c.]
      We must account for the use of our opportunities.
    7. (intransitive) To give a satisfactory reason for; to explain. [from 16th c.]
      Idleness accounts for poverty.
    8. (intransitive) To establish the location for someone. [from 19th c.]
      After the crash, not all passengers were accounted for.
    9. (intransitive) To cause the death, capture, or destruction of someone or something (+ for). [from 19th c.]
  2. To count.
    1. (transitive, now rare) To calculate, work out (especially with periods of time). [from 14th c.]
      • 1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC ↗:
        neither the motion of the Moon, whereby moneths are computed; nor of the Sun, whereby years are accounted, consisteth of whole numbers, but admits of fractions, and broken parts, as we have already declared concerning the Moon.
    2. (obsolete) To count (up), enumerate. [14th]
    3. (obsolete) To recount, relate (a narrative etc.). [14th]
      • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC ↗:
        Long worke it were / Here to account the endlesse progeny / Of all the weeds that bud and blossome there [...].
Conjugation
Conjugation of account

infinitive (to) account
present tense past tense
1st-person singular account accounted
2nd-person singular

 account, accountest†

 accounted, accountedst†
3rd-person singular

 accounts, accounteth†

 accounted
plural

 account

subjunctive

 account

accounted
imperative

 account

—
participles

 accounting

 accounted

†Archaic or obsolete.

Related terms Translations

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