account
account
Pronunciation
account: /əˈkaʊnt/
a-: /ə/ (schwa)
-count: /kaʊnt/
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: account
Plural Noun: accounts
Verb (base form): account
Verb (third-person singular present): accounts
Verb (present participle): accounting
Verb (past tense/past participle): accounted
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A detailed record or statement of financial transactions, often maintained by a bank or financial institution, showing deposits, withdrawals, and balances.
Synonyms: ledger, statement, balance, register
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for this specific financial sense, but one could consider "debt" or "liability" in contrast to a positive balance.)
Definition 2: A report or description of an event or series of events, often given from a particular perspective.
Synonyms: narrative, report, story, chronicle, version
Antonyms: silence, omission, misrepresentation
Definition 3: An arrangement or relationship with a service provider, allowing access to their services, such as an email account or a social media account.
Synonyms: profile, membership, subscription, user ID
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms, but one might consider "deactivation" or "termination" in relation to the status of an account.)
Verb
Definition 1: To consider or regard in a particular way; to deem or judge.
Synonyms: consider, deem, judge, evaluate, assess
Antonyms: disregard, ignore, overlook
Definition 2: To furnish a reckoning or explanation; to be responsible for something, especially money that has been entrusted.
Synonyms: explain, report, justify, answer for, clarify
Antonyms: neglect, shirk, evade
Definition 3: (Often followed by "for") To constitute the specified amount or proportion of something.
Synonyms: comprise, make up, represent, form, constitute
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms in this sense, as it describes a quantitative relationship.)
Examples of Use
Books: "It was a dark and stormy night, and the lone traveler gave a harrowing account of his journey through the haunted woods."
Newspapers: "The latest financial report reveals that the company's foreign investments account for a significant portion of its overall revenue." ( The Wall Street Journal)
Online Publications: "Users are advised to regularly review their privacy settings on their social media account to ensure data security." ( TechCrunch)
Entertainment Mediums (Film Dialogue): "You will account for every decision you made on that mission, Captain." (From a fictional military drama film)
Entertainment Platforms (Streaming Service Description): "This documentary provides a raw and unflinching account of the band's rise to fame and subsequent struggles." (Netflix description)
General Public Discourse: "When you're planning your budget, make sure to take into account unexpected expenses."
General Public Discourse: "By all accounts, the new restaurant is a huge success, always packed with customers."
10 Quotes Using Account
"Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job." (Douglas Adams)
"History is an account, mostly false, of events, mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools." (Ambrose Bierce)
"Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments." (Bethenny Frankel)
"We should every night call ourselves to an account: what infirmity have I mastered today? what passions opposed? what temptation resisted? what virtue acquired?" (Lucius Annaeus Seneca)
"There's no limit to how complicated things can get, on account of one thing always leading to another." (E. B. White)
"It always takes longer than you expect, even if you take into account Hofstadter's Law." (Douglas Hofstadter)
"A religion that takes no account of practical affairs and does not help to solve them is no religion." (Mahatma Gandhi)
"Love is the only game that is not called on account of darkness." (Thomas Carlyle)
"He who accounts all things easy will have many difficulties." (Laozi)
"So then each of us will give an account of himself to God." (Romans 14:12)
Etymology
The word "account" has a fascinating history that ties back to the fundamental human need to count and keep track of things.
It comes to us from Middle English (around the 12th to late 15th century). The word "account" in English is actually a borrowing from Old French, specifically words like "aconte" (as a noun) and "acounter" (as a verb).
If we go even further back, these Old French words trace their roots to Latin. They combine "a-" (a prefix meaning "to" or "towards") with "conter" or "compter," which meant "to count" or "to sum up." This Latin word "computare" is also where we get the word "compute" from!
So, at its very core, "account" is about counting and reckoning.
First known use and meaning:
The earliest known uses of "account" in English, both as a noun and a verb, appear around 1300.
As a noun, its first meaning was directly related to "counting", especially the "reckoning of money received and paid," or a "detailed statement of funds owed or spent." Think of it as keeping a tally of financial transactions.
As a verb, the earliest meaning was "to count" or "enumerate." Soon after, it also took on the meaning of "to reckon for money given or received," essentially "to give a financial report."
Over time, the meaning expanded beyond just money. The idea of "giving an explanation" or "telling a story" developed from the concept of "rendering an account" of one's actions or events. If you had to "account for" your behavior, you had to explain it, much like you'd explain financial dealings.
So, from simple counting to complex financial statements and even storytelling, the word "account" has always been about making sense of things by organizing and presenting information.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Account
On account of: Because of; due to.
Take into account: To consider something when making a decision or judgment.
Give a good account of oneself: To perform well or to explain oneself clearly and effectively.
By all accounts: According to what everyone says or reports.
On no account: Under no circumstances; never.
Call to account: To demand an explanation from someone for their actions.
Settle an account: To pay a debt or resolve a disagreement.
Keep a running account: To continuously track or record something.
Render an account: To provide a detailed report or explanation.
For your own account: For your own benefit or responsibility.
To account for: To explain the cause or reason for something; to be responsible for.
Personal account: A private or individual record or story.
Balance the account: To ensure that debits and credits are equal; to reconcile.
Open an account: To establish a new financial or service relationship.
Close an account: To terminate a financial or service relationship.
A full account: A complete and detailed explanation.
To square accounts: To settle all outstanding debts or grievances.
To have an account with (someone/something): To have a business relationship or a record with them.
Beyond all account: Impossible to explain or understand.
A storied account: A detailed and often elaborate narrative (using a synonym for "account").
To tally the reckoning: To count or sum up carefully (using a synonym for "account").
To give a full ledger: To provide a complete and exhaustive record (using a synonym for "account").
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of account from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
