Wiktionary

account

English

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Pronunciation

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  • (US) IPA(key): /əˈkaʊnt/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -aʊnt
  • Hyphenation: ac‧count

Etymology 1

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Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd
Proto-Italic *ad
Proto-Italic *ad-
Latin ad-
Old French a-
Proto-Indo-European *ḱe
Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm
Proto-Italic *kom
Proto-Italic *kom-
Latin con-
Latin com-
Latin putus
Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti
Proto-Italic *-āō
Latin -ō
Latin putō
Latin computō
Old French conter
Old French aconter
Anglo-Norman acuntebor.
Middle English acounte
English account

    From Middle English acounte, from Anglo-Norman acunte (“account”), from Old French aconte, from aconter (“to reckon”), from Latin computō (“to sum up”).

    Noun

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    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]
      The firm failed to file its accounts on time.
    2. (banking) A bank account.
      The money was refunded to her 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
      • 2012 January, Stephen Ledoux, “Behaviorism at 100”, in American Scientist‎[1], volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 10 November 2013, page 60:
        Becoming more aware of the progress that scientists have made on behavioral fronts can reduce the risk that other natural scientists will resort to mystical agential accounts when they exceed the limits of their own disciplinary training.
      No satisfactory account has been given of these phenomena.
    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.
      • 1920, Carl D. Buck, “Hittite an Indo-European Language?”, in Classical Philology, volume 15, number 2, →DOI, page 185:
        The study of the main body of Hittite texts was intrusted[sic] to the Austrian scholar Hrozny, who in 1915 published a preliminary account of his results […]
      • 1991, Thomas Lawton, A Time of Transition: Two Collectors of Chinese Art‎[2], →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 63:
        According to one published account, said to be based on information provided by foreign missionaries in Chungking, whose reaction may have been influenced by the excesses of the Boxer Rebellion just a few years earlier, Tuan-fang was killed by his own soldiers at Tzu-chou, Shensi province.
      • 2000, Yunzhong Shu, chapter 2, in Buglers on the Home Front: The Wartime Practice of the Qiyue School, State University of New York Press, →ISBN, page 58:
        In a lapidary style, Qiu Dongping clearly and forcefully describes battlefield actions with simple sentences, giving a blow-by-blow account of successive events with neither understatement nor exaggeration.
    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, page 235:
        There is a peculiarity in Homer's manner of apoſtrophizing Eumæus, 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, addreſſes them with reſpect; […]
    8. Authorization as a specific registered user in accessing a system.
      Synonyms: membership, registration
      Meronym: username
      Since the system outage, I've been unable to log in to my account.
      • 2000, Sean Mooney, 5,110 Days in Tokyo and Everything's Hunky-dory, page 66:
        In these cases, the agency has to buy through another ad agency that has an account with the media vehicle in question.
      • 2002, Whizkids Data Creation:
        For example, to register an account with Hotmail, you should type www.hotmail.com on the Address bar of your browser to go to the Hotmail e-mail service WEB page.
      • 2006, Michael Miller, Choosing an Online Payment Service:
        While the buyer might have to create an account with the online payment service, this account is free; the account exists only to facilitate future transactions, since the buyer's address and payment information doesn't have to be re-entered for each new transaction.
      • 2009, Jason Rich, Design and Launch an Online Web Design Business in a Week, page 223:
        Depending on the shipping options you plan to offer to your customers, you'll probably need to open shipping accounts with FedEx, UPS, and perhaps other couriers as well.
      • 2014, Brad Miser, My iPhone (Covers iOS 8 on iPhone 6/6 Plus, 5S/5C/5, and 4S), page 71:
        Of course, to use iCloud on your iPhone, you need to have an iCloud account.
    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 28, [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.
    Usage notes
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    Derived terms
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    Financial terms
    Non-financial terms
    Descendants
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    Translations
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    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    Etymology 2

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    Etymology tree
    Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd
    Proto-Italic *ad
    Proto-Italic *ad-
    Latin ad-
    Old French a-
    Proto-Indo-European *ḱe
    Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm
    Proto-Italic *kom
    Proto-Italic *kom-
    Latin con-
    Latin com-
    Latin putus
    Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
    Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
    Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
    Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti
    Proto-Italic *-āō
    Latin -ō
    Latin putō
    Latin computō
    Old French conter
    Old French aconterder.
    English account

      From Old French acounter, accomptere et al., from a- + conter (“to count”)). Compare count.

      Verb

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      account (third-person singular simple present 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–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.]
          Synonyms: see Thesaurus:deem
        4. (intransitive) To consider that. [from 14th c.]
        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.
          • 2025 February 14, Heather Westwood, Will Mandy, Rebecca Brewer, “The Relationship Between Interoception, Alexithymia, Autistic Traits and Eating Pathology in Autistic Adults”, in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders‎[3], →DOI:
            While the overall model was invariant across groups, the direct relationship between atypical eating (not driven by weight/shape) and ED pathology was only significant in the autistic group. Therefore, while body image appears to contribute to ED pathology in autistic adults, atypical eating may represent an additional unique risk factor for ED pathology. While the correlational nature of this study precludes inferences about causality, the combination of atypical eating and body image dissatisfaction may partially account for elevated ED pathology in autism.
        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.]
          • 1848, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 45, in Vanity Fair:
            Desperately bold at last, the persecuted animals bolted above-ground—the terrier accounted for one, the keeper for another; Rawdon, from flurry and excitement, missed his rat, but on the other hand he half-murdered a ferret.
      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–17th c.]
        3. (obsolete) To recount, relate (a narrative etc.). [14th–16th c.]
      3. Used in phrasal verbs: account for, account of, account to.
      Conjugation
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      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.

      Derived terms
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      Translations
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      The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
      Translations to be checked

      Further reading

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      Chinese

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      Etymology 1

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      From English account. Doublet of AC.

      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      account

      1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) bank account
      2. (Hong Kong Cantonese) account that is used for accessing Internet services
      Alternative forms
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      • (account for accessing Internet services): acc
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      Etymology 2

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      From clipping of English accounting.

      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      account

      1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) accounting; accounting industry; accountant

      References

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      Dutch

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      Etymology

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      Borrowed from English account.

      Pronunciation

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      • IPA(key): /ɑˈkɑu̯nt/
      • Audio:(file)
      • Hyphenation: ac‧count

      Noun

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      account n or m (plural accounts, diminutive accountje n)

      1. a subscription to an electronic service
      2. (business) a B2B-customer

      Usage notes

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      In Flanders, the word can be both masculine (more common) and neuter (less common). In the Netherlands, it can only be neuter.

      Derived terms

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      Descendants

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      • → Indonesian: akun

      Italian

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      Etymology

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      Unadapted borrowing from English account. Doublet of conto.

      Noun

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      account m (invariable)

      1. (computing) account
        Synonym: conto

      Further reading

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      • account in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

      Scots

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      Noun

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      account

      1. alternative form of accoont
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