Origin: Latin suffix -able
Accountable has 2 different meanings across 1 category:
liable to account for one's actions
"governments must be accountable to someone beside themselves"
"fully accountable for what they did"
"the court held the parents answerable for their minor child's acts of vandalism"
"he was answerable to no one"
Obliged, when called upon, to answer (for one’s deeds); answerable.
"The manager is accountable for every financial decision made by her team."
In plain English: Accountable means being responsible for your actions and willing to accept the consequences if you make mistakes.
"The manager is accountable for all financial decisions made by her team."
Usage: Use accountable to describe someone who must explain or take responsibility for their actions if questioned. It is often paired with the preposition "to," as in being accountable to a manager or the public.
The word accountable comes from the noun account combined with the suffix -able. It was first used around 1400 to describe something that can be accounted for.