ˈcounting-house
[f. count v.]
A building or apartment appropriated to the keeping of accounts; a private chamber, closet, or cabinet appropriated to business and correspondence; an office. Now only as in c.
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 99 Cowntinge hows, computoria. 1577 tr. Bullinger's Decades (1592) 286 These kind of fellowes..keep themselues close in secret counting houses, their baggs are their pillowes whereon they sleep. 1587 Wills & Inv. N.C. (Surtees) 157 In the lyttell cownting howsse within the great chamber. 1734 Watts Reliq. Juv. (1789) 97 Closets and compting-houses often told our ancestors their duty. Nursery Rime, The king was in his counting-house, Counting out his money. |
† b. The office of account of the royal household.
Obs.| a 1483 Liber Niger in Househ. Ord. 83 He indenteth with the Thesaurer of the household in the countinghouse for all the basyns, ewears, cuppes, etc. 1539 Ibid. 228 The Lord Great Master, the Treasurer and Comptroller of the Kings Household..shall be dayly in the Compting-house between the hours of 8 and 9 in the morning. 1670 Blount Law Dict., Counting-House of the Kings Houshold..Commonly called the Green Cloth..where sit the Lord Steward..the Comptroller..for daily taking the Accompts of all Expenses of the Houshold. |
c. spec. A building, room, or office in a commercial establishment, in which the book-keeping, correspondence, etc., are carried on; also
attrib. (Now largely superseded in everyday use by
office.)
| 1614 G. Markham Way to Wealth in Arb. Garner IV. 334 The counting-houses of the Fish Brokers. a 1633 S. Lennard tr. Charron's Wisd. i. xxxix. §10 To hear..a Merchant talking in his counting-house. 1777 Burke Let. Sheriffs of Bristol Wks. III. 148 The merchant who sits in his compting-house. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 134 There were those who still remembered him an apprentice, sweeping one of the counting houses of the City. |
| attrib. 1882 C. Pebody Eng. Journalism x. 75 A year or two of countinghouse work disgusted James Perry with invoices and ledgers. |
† d. An office of finance, a
comptoir.
Obs.| 1735 Berkeley App. to Querist §234 To appoint four counting-houses, one in each province, for converting notes into specie. |