Standard Lemma guide

bookkeeping

noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈbʊkˌkiːpɪŋ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: B UH1 K K IY2 P IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The skill or practice of keeping books or systematic records of financial transactions, e.g. income and expenses.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: accounting, business, finance

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

General tasks for maintaining a system.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: housekeeping

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

present participle and gerund of bookkeep

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the activity of recording business transactions

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: clerking

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: accountancy, accounting

Narrower terms: single entry, single-entry bookkeeping, double entry, double-entry bookkeeping

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

27 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: հաշվապահություն (hašvapahutʻyun) — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Bulgarian: водене на книги (vodene na knigi) — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Bulgarian: водене на сметки (vodene na smetki) — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Chinese Mandarin: 記帳 /记帐 (jìzhàng) — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Chinese Mandarin: 簿記 /簿记 (bùjì) — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Finnish: kirjanpito — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • French: comptabilité — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • German: Buchhaltung — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Greek: λογιστική (logistikí) — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Greek: καταστιχογραφία (katastichografía) — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Hungarian: könyvelés — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Hungarian: könyvvitel — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Ido: ekrito — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Indonesian: pembukuan — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Italian: contabilità — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Japanese: 簿記 (boki) — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Macedonian: книговодство (knigovodstvo) — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Portuguese: escrituração — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Romanian: contabilitate — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Russian: бухгалте́рия (buxgaltérija) — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Russian: счетово́дство (sčetovódstvo) — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Russian: бухга́лтерский учёт (buxgálterskij učót) — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Spanish: contabilidad — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Swahili: uwekaji hesabu — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Ukrainian: бухгалте́рія (buxhaltérija) — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Ukrainian: бухо́блік (buxóblik) — skill of keeping records of financial transactions
  • Ukrainian: бухгалтерський о́блік (buxhaltersʹkyj óblik) — skill of keeping records of financial transactions