Etymology Map
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Account

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means a record of money; a report

Where does the word "account" come from? It comes from Latin computare, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
computare
Latin · ancient
"to reckon"
'com-' plus 'putare', to reckon, the root of 'compute'
2
Stage 2 of 3
aconter
Old French · medieval
"to count"
'a-' plus 'conter', to count
3
Stage 3 of 3
account
English · 1300s
"reckoning"
bank 'accounts' date from the 1300s too
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Read the full story

Account’s story begins in Latin: computare meant “to reckon.” 'com-' plus 'putare', to reckon, the root of 'compute'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as aconter. 'a-' plus 'conter', to count. It reached English by 1300s as account. Bank 'accounts' date from the 1300s too. Today, account means a record of money; a report.