English → Latin
“account for” in Latin
ratiōreason, reasoning, explanation, ground, motive, rationality, rationale, purpose; calculation, account, accounting, reckoafferōto carry forth; to bring forth; conduct; to bring, bear, convey or carry information, report, announce, inform, publish,cūrwhy; for what reason; wherefore; to what purpose; from what motivelūxlight (of the sun, stars etc.); daylight, day, moonlight; life
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
account for
rationem, causam afferre, or afferre only, followed by cur: cur credam, afferre possum: to account for this, rationes cur hoc ita sit afferre: to account satisfactorily for, justas causas afferre alicujus rei, or cur with subjunctive: illustrare aliquid; lucem or lumen alicui rei afferre (not affundere), dare lumen alicui rei (to throw light upon): explanare aliquid (to make anything plain): aperire (to uncover, unveil: all these are said of what was before dark or confused). To account for a mistake, errorem aperire (to show its nature, and how it arose). To account for one thing from another, causam alicujus rei repetere ex re. To be difficult to account for, difliciles habere explicatus (of what it is difficult to makeintelligible).
To have to render an account of, rationem reddere alicujus rei or de aliqua re.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for account for?
- The usual Latin words for “account for” are ratiō, afferō, cūr; also lūx. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.