• (America) IPA: /ə.ˈkaʊnt/

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 sum of money deposited at a bank and subject to withdrawal. [from 1833]

   to keep one's account at the bank.

3. A statement in general of reasons, causes, grounds, etc., explanatory of some event; a reason of an action to be done.

   No satisfactory account has been given of these phenomena.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981 ↗, 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 & Co.; Sylvia Beach, OCLC 560090630 ↗; republished London: Published for the Egoist Press, London by John Rodker, Paris, October 1922, OCLC 2297483 ↗:

     {...}} 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. (business) A business relationship involving the exchange of money and credit.
6. A record of events; recital of transactions; a relation or narrative; a report; a description. [from c. 1610]

   An account of a battle.

   • A laudable account of the city of London.

7. An estimate or estimation; valuation; judgment.
8. Importance; worth; value; esteem; judgement.
   • 1725, Homer; [Alexander Pope], transl., “Book XIV”, in The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume III, London: Printed for Bernard Lintot, OCLC 8736646 ↗, 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

9. An authorization to use a service.

   I've opened an account with Wikipedia so that I can contribute and partake in the project.

10. (archaic) A reckoning; computation; calculation; enumeration; a record of some reckoning.
11. Profit; advantage.

• (registry of pecuniary transactions)
• (statement of occurrences) narrative, narration, relation, recital, description, explanation
• (a statement of reasons) accounting, explanation
• (a reason)
• (a vindication) defense, excuse, explanation
• (estimate)
• (value, importance)
• (authorization to use a service) membership, registration, username

• French: compte
• German: Konto
• Italian: contabilità
• Portuguese: conta
• Russian: счёт
• Spanish: cuenta

• French: récit
• German: Begründung
• Italian: resoconto, descrizione, ragione, motivo
• Portuguese: relatório
• Russian: основа́ние
• Spanish: reporte

• French: rapport, récit
• German: Bericht
• Italian: resoconto, descrizione, racconto
• Portuguese: relato
• Russian: изложе́ние
• Spanish: reporte, relato, versión, relato

• German: Rechenschaft
• Italian: giustificazione, motivo, ragione, causa, caso
• Russian: объясне́ние
• Spanish: justificación

• French: compte
• German: Konto
• Italian: utenza, fruizione
• Portuguese: conta
• Russian: учётная за́пись
• Spanish: cuenta

• Italian: conto
• Portuguese: soma
• Russian: расчёт
• Spanish: cálculo

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

1. To provide explanation.
   1. (obsolete, transitive) To present an account of; to answer for, to justify. [14th-17th c.]
   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.]
      • 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present (book), III.8:

        The Pagan Hercules, why was he accounted a hero?

   4. (intransitive) To consider that. [from 14th c.]
      • 1611, Bible, Authorized (King James) Version, Hebrews XI.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.]
      • 1646, Sir Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica:

        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-17th c.]
   3. (obsolete) To recount, relate (a narrative etc.). [14th-16th c.]
      • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.6:

        Long worke it were / Here to account the endlesse progeny / Of all the weeds that bud and blossome there [...].

• (to estimate; to consider) see Thesaurus:deem

• Italian: reputare, considerare, ritenere

• accountable
• accountant