accountant

(one who handles financial records): acc.

• (US) IPA^(key): /ə.ˈkaʊn.tənt/

From Middle English, from Middle French acuntant. Equivalent to account +‎ -ant. First attested in the mid 15th century.

accountant (plural accountants)

1. One who renders account; one accountable.
2. A reckoner, or someone who maintains financial matters for a person(s).
3. (accounting) One who is skilled in, keeps, or adjusts, accounts; an officer in a public office, who has charge of the accounts.
4. (accounting) One whose profession includes organizing, maintaining and auditing the records of another. The records are usually, but not always, financial records.

• [1900, Francis William Pixley, Accountancy — constructive and recording accountancy (Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd, London).‎, volume 1, page 4:

  The word Accountant is derived from the French word compter, which took its origin from the Latin word computare. The word was formerly written in English as "accomptant", but in process of time the word, which was always pronounced by dropping the "p", became gradually changed both in pronunciation and in orthography to its present form.]

• accountant general
• chartered accountant
• Certified National Accountant
• management accountant

• account

• First attested in the early 15th century.

accountant (comparative more accountant, superlative most accountant)

1. (obsolete) Accountable.

• (adjective): Followed by the word to.