From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
account
n 1: a formal contractual relationship established to provide for
regular banking or brokerage or business services; "he
asked to see the executive who handled his account"
[syn: business relationship]
2: the act of informing by verbal report; "he heard reports
that they were causing trouble"; "by all accounts they
were a happy couple" [syn: report]
3: a record or narrative description of past events; "a history
of France"; "he gave an inaccurate account of the plot to
kill the president"; "the story of exposure to lead" [syn:
history, chronicle, story]
4: a short account of the news; "the report of his speech";
"the story was on the 11 o'clock news"; "the account of
his speech that was given on the evening news made the
governor furious" [syn: report, news report, story,
write up]
5: a statement of recent transactions and the resulting
balance; "they send me an accounting every month" [syn:
accounting, account statement]
6: a statement that makes something comprehensible by
describing the relevant structure or operation or
circumstances etc.; "the explanation was very simple"; "I
expected a brief account" [syn: explanation]
7: an itemized statement of money owed for goods shipped or
services rendered; "he paid his bill and left"; "send me
an account of what I owe" [syn: bill, invoice]
8: grounds; "don't do it on my account"; "the paper was
rejected on account of its length"; "he tried to blame the
victim but his success on that score was doubtful" [syn:
score]
9: importance or value; "a person of considerable account"; "he
predicted that although it is of small account now it will
rapidly increase in importance"
10: the quality of taking advantage; "she turned her writing
skills to good account"
v 1: be the sole or primary factor in the existence, acquisition,
supply, or disposal of something; "Passing grades
account for half of the grades given in this exam"
2: keep an account of [syn: calculate]
3: to give an account or representation of in words; "Discreet
Italian police described it in a manner typically
continental" [syn: report, describe]
4: furnish a justifying analysis or explanation; "I can't
account for the missing money" [syn: answer for]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Account \Ac*count"\, n. [OE. acount, account, accompt, OF.
acont, fr. aconter. See Account, v. t., Count, n., 1.]
1. A reckoning; computation; calculation; enumeration; a
record of some reckoning; as, the Julian account of time.
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A beggarly account of empty boxes. --Shak.
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2. 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;
as, to keep one's account at the bank.
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3. A statement in general of reasons, causes, grounds, etc.,
explanatory of some event; as, no satisfactory account has
been given of these phenomena. Hence, the word is often
used simply for reason, ground, consideration, motive,
etc.; as, on no account, on every account, on all
accounts.
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4. A statement of facts or occurrences; recital of
transactions; a relation or narrative; a report; a
description; as, an account of a battle. "A laudable
account of the city of London." --Howell.
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5. A statement and explanation or vindication of one's
conduct with reference to judgment thereon.
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Give an account of thy stewardship. --Luke xvi. 2.
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6. An estimate or estimation; valuation; judgment. "To stand
high in your account." --Shak.
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7. Importance; worth; value; advantage; profit. "Men of
account." --Pope. "To turn to account." --Shak.
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Account current, a running or continued account between two
or more parties, or a statement of the particulars of such
an account.
In account with, in a relation requiring an account to be
kept.
On account of, for the sake of; by reason of; because of.
On one's own account, for one's own interest or behalf.
To make account, to have an opinion or expectation; to
reckon. [Obs.]
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This other part . . . makes account to find no
slender arguments for this assertion out of those
very scriptures which are commonly urged against it.
--Milton.
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To make account of, to hold in estimation; to esteem; as,
he makes small account of beauty.
To take account of, or to take into account, to take into
consideration; to notice. "Of their doings, God takes no
account." --Milton
.
A writ of account (Law), a writ which the plaintiff brings
demanding that the defendant shall render his just
account, or show good cause to the contrary; -- called
also an action of account. --Cowell.
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Syn: Narrative; narration; relation; recital; description;
explanation; rehearsal.
Usage: Account, Narrative, Narration, Recital. These
words are applied to different modes of rehearsing a
series of events. Account turns attention not so
much to the speaker as to the fact related, and more
properly applies to the report of some single event,
or a group of incidents taken as whole; as, an
account of a battle, of a shipwreck, etc. A
narrative is a continuous story of connected
incidents, such as one friend might tell to another;
as, a narrative of the events of a siege, a
narrative of one's life, etc. Narration is usually
the same as narrative, but is sometimes used to
describe the mode of relating events; as, his powers
of narration are uncommonly great. Recital denotes
a series of events drawn out into minute particulars,
usually expressing something which peculiarly
interests the feelings of the speaker; as, the
recital of one's wrongs, disappointments,
sufferings, etc.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Account \Ac*count"\, v. i.
1. To render or receive an account or relation of
particulars; as, an officer must account with or to the
treasurer for money received.
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2. To render an account; to answer in judgment; -- with for;
as, we must account for the use of our opportunities.
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3. To give a satisfactory reason; to tell the cause of; to
explain; -- with for; as, idleness accounts for poverty.
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To account of, to esteem; to prize; to value. Now used only
in the passive. "I account of her beauty." --Shak.
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Newer was preaching more accounted of than in the
sixteenth century. --Canon
Robinson.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Account \Ac*count"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Accounted; p. pr. &
vb. n. Accounting.] [OE. acounten, accompten, OF. aconter,
[`a] (L. ad) + conter to count. F. conter to tell, compter to
count, L. computare. See Count, v. t.]
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1. To reckon; to compute; to count. [Obs.]
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The motion of . . . the sun whereby years are
accounted. --Sir T.
Browne.
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2. To place to one's account; to put to the credit of; to
assign; -- with to. [R.] --Clarendon.
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3. To value, estimate, or hold in opinion; to judge or
consider; to deem.
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Accounting that God was able to raise him up. --Heb.
xi. 19.
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4. To recount; to relate. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
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