All 7 Uses of

accord
in
Change of Heart, by Picoult

The screen filled with a uniformed officer's face—Correctional Officer Rick Whitaker, according to the caption beneath him.†
*

according to = as stated by; or in agreement with

The reporter again: "According to sources, inmate Lucius DuFresne— an AIDS patient in the final stages of the disease—has been miraculously cured.†

The punishment of death shall be inflicted by continuous, intravenous administration of a lethal quantity of an ultra-short-acting barbiturate in combination with a chemical paralytic agent until death is pronounced by a licensed physician according to accepted standards of medical practice.†

And—here was the real miracle—according to Dr. Gallagher, that meant Shay Bourne could donate his heart.†

According to his records, Shay Bourne was raised in foster homes, so he can't claim that he was reared in one religious tradition that fostered organ donation.†

He's simply asking to die in accordance with his religious beliefs.†

accordance = keeping with; or agreement with

The words slipped in and out of my mind: ...Whereas on the sixth day of March, 1997, Isaiah Matthew Bourne was duly and legally convicted of two counts of the crime of capital murder......said court pronounced sentence upon Isaiah Matthew Bourne in accordance with said judgment fixing the time for the execution for ten a.m. on Friday, the twenty-third of May, 2008 ......command you to execute the aforesaid judgment and sentence by hanging in a manner that produces brain death in said Isaiah Matthew Bourne ....When the warden finished, he faced Shay.†

Definitions:

(1) (accord as in: according to, or in accord with)
in keeping with; or in agreement/harmony/unity with
This meaning of accord is often seen in the form according to or accordingly where it can take on more specific meanings. For example:
- "According to Kim, ..." -- as stated by
- "To each according to her ability." -- based upon
- "Points are scored according to how well they perform." -- depending upon
- "The dose is calculated according to body weight." -- in proportion to
- "We got a flat tire. Accordingly, I pulled to the side of the road." -- because of what was just said; or as a result
(2) (accord as in: reached an accord)
an agreement

In this sense, accord can refer to a formal agreement (such as one written between two countries) or an informal agreement (such as an unvoiced consensus about what should be done).
(3) (accord as in: done of her own accord)
mind

This sense of accord is typically seen in the form own accord or one accord.
(4) (accord as in: accord her the respect deserved)
to give someone special treatment -- especially respect