account
UK: əˈkaʊnt | US: əˈkaʊnt
n. a record or statement of financial transactions
n. a report or description of an event or experience
vt. to consider or regard in a specified way
vi. to provide an explanation or justification (often + for)
The word account traces back to Old French aconter, derived from Latin computare ("to calculate"). The prefix ac- (from ad-) signifies direction ("to"), while count retains its core meaning of calculation. Over time, account expanded from purely financial contexts to include narratives (e.g., "giving an account of events"), reflecting the logical progression from numerical records to descriptive summaries.
She keeps a detailed account of all her expenses.
The journalist provided an eyewitness account of the incident.
He accounted for his absence by showing a doctor’s note.
The manager asked the team to account for the missing funds.
In his account, the meeting was far more contentious than reported.