Reckoning
/ˈrɛk.ə.nɪŋ/noun
The act of calculating, estimating, or settling accounts; a judgment or accounting.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from a Germanic root meaning “to arrange” or “set in order,” which is why reckoning became tied not only to calculation but also to the idea of a final accounting before judgment.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*rekaną
“to arrange, explain, recount”
Old English
OE
gerecenian
“to narrate, explain, make clear”
Old English
OE
reccan
“to care for, attend to, rule, interpret”
Middle English
ME
recken
“to account, calculate, consider”
Modern English
English
reckoning
“calculation, settlement of accounts, judgment”