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accountable

Etymology and origin of the English word accountable

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1400
Borrowed from
Anglo-Norman acomptable via Middle English

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /əˈkaʊntəbl̩/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English accountable, borrowed from Anglo-Norman acomptable,[2][3] from acunter (“to account”) and -able (see account and -able).[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Answerable, liable to be called to account: about 1400 in English, the mid-14th century in Anglo-French, according to Etymonline;[3] Merriam-Webster gives the 15th century.[2] The OED's first quotation with to a person or for a thing is from 1583.[4]

Semantic evolution

In the 17th century it also meant able to be reckoned or computed (1589), to be counted on (1603–5) and attributable (1681), senses now obsolete.[4] Able to be explained is from 1665;[4] it survives mainly in the negative unaccountable.[4][5]

Timeline

  • c. 1400 – answerable.[3]
  • 1583 – accountable to someone for something.[4]
  • 1589 – able to be computed (obsolete).[4]
  • 1665 – explicable.[4]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Responsible to someone or for something; answerable.
  2. Able to be explained.

Word family

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Accountable.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/accountable. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·