You will find accountability in ancient Greek. I'd be suprised if
you didn't find the equivalent of accountability in legal terminology
in even those languages which do not contain a single word for it in
their regular language.
The signficance of accountability in ancient Greece is that they had
a highly developed commercial culture where the distinction was
useful. Maybe it was their invention. (Although I take John
Warfield's warning as well as my own.)
(I confess to going on heresay evidence that the specific word
"accountability" is found in the ancient Greek. The source if
Fernando Flores talking about performatives in the early Greek
culture.)
-- Michael McMaster Michael@kbddean.demon.co.uk