Idiom 'Keep an Account Of' - Meaning, Origin, and Examples

The idiom "keep an account of" means to keep a record or a tally of something, usually for the purpose of keeping track of progress or making sure everything is accounted for. For example, one might say "I need to keep an account of how much money I spend this month" or "We need to keep an account of how many people are attending the event." It is similar to the phrase "keep track of" which means to monitor or follow the progress of something.

The origin of the phrase "keep an account of" comes from the practice of keeping a written record of financial transactions. In the past, people would use ledgers or accounting books to keep track of money that was spent, earned or owed. This practice is known as bookkeeping. The phrase "keep an account" comes from the practice of keeping a record of financial transactions, but it has been extended to refer to keeping track of anything that can be quantified or recorded.

Take a look at these sample sentences using the expression ''keep an account of":

I need to keep an account of how many emails I receive each day.
We have to keep an account of the inventory to make sure we have enough supplies.
She keeps an account of her calorie intake to maintain a healthy diet.
You should keep an account of your expenses, to keep track of your financial status.
He keeps an account of the number of customers that come into the store each day.
I am keeping an account of how much time I spend on social media.
It's important to keep an account of how many hours you work each week.
The company keeps an account of all the products they sell to keep track of the sales.
The teacher needs to keep an account of the students' attendance.
Let's keep an account of the number of people who come to the event tonight.

The phrase has been in use since at least the 16th century, and has been used in a variety of contexts. It is also commonly used in the phrase "keep account of time" which is used to express the importance of time management.