noun / verb
account
A description or explanation of what happened.
The witness gives a detailed account of the accident.
Etymology
Old French acont meant a reckoning. The idea of setting out a reckoning extends from sums to events, producing a narrative or explanation of what happened.
More examples
- Their accounts of the meeting differ on several important points.
- Her written account explains how the dog escaped.
- Investigators cannot account for the sudden loss of power.
Forms
account · accounts · accounted · accounting
recount verb — To describe past events in detail.
Similar words
- report
- Often presents factual findings in a formal or organized way.
- description
- Emphasizes details rather than causes or a sequence of events.
- explanation
- Focuses on why or how something happened.