Subledger

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A detailed accounting record that breaks down the individual transactions behind a single summary total held in the general ledger
2. An auxiliary set of accounts that itemizes the entries summarized by one control account in the main accounting books
3. A supporting bookkeeping ledger holding the itemized details for a particular category of financial transactions in a company's records

Etymology: "Subledger" is a plain compound: "sub-" (from Latin "sub", meaning "under" or "below") attached to "ledger". A ledger is the main book in which a business records its accounts, so a subledger is a secondary book that sits beneath it, holding the detailed records that feed into a single summary figure in the main ledger. A company's accounts receivable subledger, for example, lists each individual customer's balance, while the general ledger shows only the total owed. The word therefore follows the logic of the bookkeeping system rather than any shift in meaning. The "under" in its make-up describes its role exactly: the detail lies beneath the summary.

Synonyms: subsidiary ledger