Understanding the meaning of "engaged" and "account"

Hi,

The first question:

I found the definition of "engaged" from "http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/engaged",

Function: adjective
Date: 1629
1 : involved in activity : occupied, busy

In above interpretation, it described "engaged" as "involved in activity", but it also described "engaged" as "occupied, busy",

So, how to understand the meaning of "engaged" in this situation? Should we just accept the meaning of "involved in activity" or just accept the meaning of "occupied, busy"?

The second question:

And this is the definition of "account" from "account: West's Encyclopedia of American Law (Full Article) from Answers.com",

d. A customer having a business or credit relationship with a firm: salespeople visiting their accounts.

It defined the "account" as "A customer having a business or credit relationship with a firm", and it gives a sample sentence as "salespeople visiting their accounts",

So, Can I simply change the sample sentence to "salespeople visiting their whom having a business or credit relationship with a firm"?

Thanks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fenglish

Hi,

The first question:

I found the definition of "engaged" from "http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/engaged",

Function: adjective
Date: 1629
1 : involved in activity : occupied, busy

In above interpretation, it described "engaged" as "involved in activity", but it also described "engaged" as "occupied, busy",

So, how to understand the meaning of "engaged" in this situation? Should we just accept the meaning of "involved in activity" or just accept the meaning of "occupied, busy"?

The second question:

And this is the definition of "account" from "account: West's Encyclopedia of American Law (Full Article) from Answers.com",

d. A customer having a business or credit relationship with a firm: salespeople visiting their accounts.

It defined the "account" as "A customer having a business or credit relationship with a firm", and it gives a sample sentence as "salespeople visiting their accounts",

So, Can I simply change the sample sentence to "salespeople visiting their whom having a business or credit relationship with a firm"?

Thanks.

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Hi. fenglish
As far as your first question is concerned, the meaning of be engaged into something e.g. an activity means that you take part in this activity, you participate in it. (hope you understand the words).
Account here, has to do with banking. Someone has a bank account, simply means that someone saves money and invests it in a bank. Or -this is another example- if someone wants to be advertised, he adresses to an advertising company and the company opens an account.
And as far as your last question is concerned - no, I' m afraid your sentence wrong. Both as grammar and structure. If you want, you can describe me what you meanby giving me an example.

Hope I have been helpful.:lol:

You might rewrite your sentence as follows:

"Salespeople are visiting those of their customers who have a business or credit relationship with the firm."

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 1984law

Hi. fenglish
As far as your first question is concerned, the meaning of be engaged into something e.g. an activity means that you take part in this activity, you participate in it. (hope you understand the words).
Account here, has to do with banking. Someone has a bank account, simply means that someone saves money and invests it in a bank. Or -this is another example- if someone wants to be advertised, he adresses to an advertising company and the company opens an account.
And as far as your last question is concerned - no, I' m afraid your sentence wrong. Both as grammar and structure. If you want, you can describe me what you meanby giving me an example.

Hope I have been helpful.:lol:

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I can understand the meaning of "involve", "activity", "occupy", and "busy", but I don't understand why the Dictionary put those words together, if it just given out "involved in activity", then, the meaning is clear,

but why it included ": occupied, busy" at the end of "involved in activity", does the Dictionary want to tell us that we just need to understand "occupied, busy", and don't need to understand "involved in activity"?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fenglish

I
but why it included ": occupied, busy" at the end of "involved in activity", does the Dictionary want to tell us that we just need to understand "occupied, busy", and don't need to understand "involved in activity"?

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It is not so. In some areas people prefer to use the word ‘busy’ and ‘occupied’ instead of ‘engaged’, to express the same thing (without any change on meaning); as:
If you want to call someone on the telephone but he is already talking to someone else from the number, you can either get a reply, “Sorry, the number is engaged” or “please wait, the number is busy” (busy is American English but also used in India)

Similarly, if you want to use a public toilet that is used by some one and you ask some one, ‘can I use the toilet? The reply can be “Sorry, it is engaged.” or “Please wait, it is occupied.”

Likewise, in business ‘account’ refers to an arrangement to sell goods and services to another company/retailer,as:
Our sales manager has secured several good accounts.(persons/firms who are willing to sale products under agreeable selling arrangement)