comptroller
noun
Did you know?
If you think "comptroller" looks like a mistaken spelling of "controller," you're partially right. Today, "comptroller" is an established word that shares one of its meanings (sense 3) with "controller." The term did originate as a misspelling, however. Around the 15th century, Middle English speakers altered the spelling of "conterroller" (meaning "controller," from the Middle French contrerolleur) under the influence of the Middle French word compte ("account"). The resulting word, "comptroller," has attracted criticism over the years. Grammarian Henry Fowler condemned "comptroller" as "not merely archaic, but erroneous" in 1920, and a lexicographical column from 1931 agreed that "comptroller" is "erroneous and should not be accepted as correct." Nevertheless, such modern institutions as colleges and governments continue to have comptrollers. "Comptrollership" occasionally turns up as well.
Examples of comptroller in a Sentence
Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2024
The previous comptroller, Scott Stringer, who came in fifth in the 2021 Democratic mayoral primary, wants another shot with the city’s voters.
—Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2024
Context: Texas has led the U.S. in wind energy production for the past 17 years, per the Texas comptroller's office.
—Alex Fitzpatrick, Axios, 20 Sep. 2024
Levine signaled his interest in the comptroller’s job by filing paperwork with the city Campaign Finance Board Wednesday, switching his Manhattan beep reelection fundraising account to become a comptroller account, a source close to Levine confirmed to the Daily News.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 8 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for comptroller 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'comptroller.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near comptroller
Cite this Entry
“Comptroller.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comptroller. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
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comptroller
noun
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Legal Definition
comptroller
noun
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