From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
accounting
n 1: a convincing explanation that reveals basic causes; "he was
unable to give a clear accounting for his actions"
2: a system that provides quantitative information about
finances
3: the occupation of maintaining and auditing records and
preparing financial reports for a business [syn:
accountancy]
4: a bookkeeper's chronological list of related debits and
credits of a business; forms part of a ledger of accounts
[syn: accounting system, method of accounting]
5: a statement of recent transactions and the resulting
balance; "they send me an accounting every month" [syn:
account, account statement]
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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