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.
A beggarly account of empty boxes.
Shak.
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.
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.
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.
5. A statement and explanation or vindication of
one's conduct with reference to judgment thereon.
Give an account of thy stewardship.
Luke xvi. 2.
6. An estimate or estimation; valuation;
judgment. "To stand high in your account." Shak.
7. Importance; worth; value; advantage;
profit. "Men of account." Pope. "To turn to
account." Shak.
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.]
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.
--
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.
Syn. -- Narrative; narration; relation; recital; description;
explanation; rehearsal. -- 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.
Ac*count" (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Accounted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Accounting.] [OE. acounten, accompten, OF.
aconter, à (L. ad) + conter to count.
F. conter to tell, compter to count, L. computare. See
Count, v. t.]
1. To reckon; to compute; to count.
[Obs.]
The motion of . . . the sun whereby years are
accounted.
Sir T. Browne.
2. To place to one's account; to put to the credit
of; to assign; -- with to. [R.] Clarendon.
3. To value, estimate, or hold in opinion; to judge
or consider; to deem.
Accounting that God was able to raise him up.
Heb. xi. 19.
4. To recount; to relate. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
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.
2. To render an account; to answer in judgment; --
with for; as, we must account for the use of our
opportunities.
3. To give a satisfactory reason; to tell the cause
of; to explain; -- with for; as, idleness accounts for
poverty.
To account of, to esteem; to prize; to value. Now
used only in the passive. "I account of her beauty."
Shak.
Newer was preaching more accounted of than in the
sixteenth century.
Canon Robinson.
