ENGLISH
REFERENCE

account

n. countable
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //əˈkaʊnt// UK //ɐkˈaʊnt// ac·count Archaic General-service

n. a record of money that you keep in a bank. It can also mean a report or description of something that happened.

n. a record of financial transactions for a specific person or entity; alternatively, a chronological narrative or description of a particular event.


SIMPLE

I need to open a new bank account today.

CONTEXTUAL

The witness gave a detailed account of the accident to the police officers at the scene.

COMPLEX

The treasurer provided a full account of the organization's spending over the last fiscal year to ensure transparency for all shareholders.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Old French a- Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Latin com- Proto-Italic *putos Latin putus? Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin putō Latin computō Old French conter Old French aconter Anglo-Norman acuntebor. Middle English acounte English account From Middle English acounte, from Anglo-Norman acunte (“account”), from Old French aconte, from aconter (“to reckon”), from Latin computō (“to sum up”).

Etymology 2

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Old French a- Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Latin com- Proto-Italic *putos Latin putus? Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin putō Latin computō Old French conter Old French aconterder. English account From Old French acounter, accomptere et al., from a- + conter (“to count”)). Compare count.

Usage

Often used with the preposition 'of' when referring to a narrative ('an account of the event').

Pitfall

I have an account in this bankI have an account at/with this bankWhen referring to a bank, the standard prepositions are 'at' or 'with', not 'in'.

Idioms5 entries

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