account

English Online Dictionary. What means account‎? What does account mean?

English

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

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

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
4. A reason, grounds, consideration, motive; a person's sake.
5. A record of events; a relation or narrative. [from c. 1610]

   Synonyms: narrative, narration, relation, recital, report, description, explanation
6. An estimate or estimation; valuation; judgment.
7. Importance; worth; value; esteem; judgement.
8. Authorization as a specific registered user in accessing a system.

   Synonyms: membership, registration

   Meronym: username
9. (archaic) A reckoning; computation; calculation; enumeration; a record of some reckoning.
10. (uncountable) Profit; advantage.

Usage notes

• Abbreviations: (business): A/C, a/c, acct., acc.

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Bulgarian: ака́унт (akáunt)
• → Japanese: アカウント (akaunto)
• → Malay: akaun
• → Pohnpeian: akaund
• → Russian: аккаунт (akkaunt)
• → Swahili: akaunti

Translations

Etymology 2

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

Verb

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.]

   6. (intransitive) To give a satisfactory evaluation for (one's actions, behaviour etc.); to answer for. [from 16th c.]

   7. (intransitive) To give a satisfactory reason for; to explain. [from 16th c.]

   8. (intransitive) To establish the location for someone. [from 19th c.]

   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.]
   2. (obsolete) To count (up), enumerate. [14th–17th c.]
   3. (obsolete) To recount, relate (a narrative etc.). [14th–16th c.]

Conjugation

Derived terms

Related terms

• accountable
• accountant

Translations

Further reading

• account on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• account (bookkeeping) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “account”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “account”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Chinese

Etymology 1

From English account. Doublet of AC.

Pronunciation

Noun

account

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) bank account
2. (Hong Kong Cantonese) account that is used for accessing Internet services

Alternative forms

• (account for accessing Internet services): acc

Related terms

• AC

Etymology 2

From clipping of English accounting.

Pronunciation

Noun

account

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

References

• English Loanwords in Hong Kong Cantonese

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English account.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

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

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

Usage notes

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

Derived terms

Related terms

• accountant

Descendants

• → Indonesian: akun

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English account. Doublet of conto.

Noun

account m (invariable)

1. (computing) account

   Synonym: conto

Further reading

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

Scots

Noun

account

1. Alternative form of accoont

References

• “account, n.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.