What does comptable mean?
"Comptable" is a rare, now largely archaic English adjective meaning accountable or answerable — describing someone who must give a reckoning of money, property, or duties entrusted to them. It derives from the Latin verb computare, "to reckon or calculate," the same root that gives us "count," "account," and "compute." Historically, the word appeared in legal, administrative, and ecclesiastical contexts: a steward, treasurer, or officer was described as comptable to a superior for the funds or responsibilities under their charge. Today it survives almost exclusively in older documents and specialized historical writing, having been displaced by the far more common "accountable" and "answerable." Learners should also note a tempting false friend: in modern French, comptable is a noun meaning "accountant," a profession rather than a quality. Though obsolete in everyday speech, comptable offers a compact window into the vocabulary of accountability in earlier centuries.
adjectiveAccountable or answerable; required to give an account or reckoning of something, especially money or duties entrusted to one.
- (Of a person) accountable or answerable for something entrusted to them, especially money or official duties.
"As treasurer, she was strictly comptable to the board for every penny spent."
"The medieval steward was held comptable to his lord for the rents he collected."
"Every officer of the charity remained strictly comptable for the funds under their care."
In modern French, "comptable" simply means accountant — so this rare English word is a false friend waiting to trip up bilinguals.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of comptable
"Comptable" comes from Middle English, borrowed from Old French "compter" ("to count, reckon"), which descends from the Latin computare, "to calculate or sum up." The same Latin root produced the English words "count," "account," and "compute." The word was used from the medieval period onward to describe officials who had to render an account of monies or duties in their keeping. As accounting practices professionalized, English gradually favored "accountable," leaving "comptable" a historical curiosity — while in French the related noun comptable came to mean "accountant."
How comptable is actually used
"Comptable" is now chiefly historical, surviving mainly in older legal, ecclesiastical, and administrative texts. It carries a formal, even archaic register, and most modern writers would use "accountable" instead. It should not be confused with its living French namesake, which denotes an accountant as a profession.
Easily confused with comptable
A comptroller is a person who oversees accounts and financial reporting, whereas comptable is an adjective describing someone answerable for such matters.
Comfortable means providing physical ease or contentment; despite the similar spelling, comptable has nothing to do with comfort and instead concerns accountability.