Definition
A bill or check you pay, or a bank account where you keep money. Also used in the phrase "darse cuenta" meaning to realize something.
Example
El camarero trajo la cuenta al final de la cena.
Show translation
The waiter brought the bill at the end of dinner.
Etymology
From Latin *computāre* ("to calculate, reckon"), via Old Spanish *contar*. The noun form *cuenta* has been in continuous use since medieval Spanish to mean both an act of counting and the resulting tally — evolving naturally into its modern senses of "bill," "account," and "bead" (as in a rosary).
Cultural note
In Spanish-speaking countries, asking for the bill is done with "¿Me trae la cuenta, por favor?" — it's considered impolite for a waiter to bring the bill unsolicited, as rushing a table is frowned upon. The multi-purpose phrase **darse cuenta de algo** ("to realize something") is one of the most common idioms in everyday Spanish and is unrelated to money — a false friend trap for learners who translate it too literally.