Issuer

How to spell issuer

6 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce issuer

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does issuer mean?

1. nounA person, company, or authority that officially sends out or makes available something such as shares, bonds, cards, or documents.

Issuer in a sentence

• The bond issuer promised to repay investors within ten years.

• Contact the card issuer immediately if your account shows fraud.

Where does issuer come from?

Language of origin: French

This word is built on 'issue' plus the agent suffix '-er', which marks the person or body that performs an action. 'Issue' came into English in the 1300s from Old French 'issue', meaning an exit or a way out, which itself grew from the verb 'issir', to go out or flow forth. Behind that lies the Latin 'exire', a compound of 'ex' meaning 'out' and 'ire' meaning 'to go', so the literal sense was simply 'a going out'. Over time English stretched 'issue' from a physical outflow to the sending out of documents, money, and official statements, and 'issuer' came to mean the body that puts such things into circulation, especially in finance and law. The doubled 's' and the '-ue-' before the agent ending are the spelling traps, both inherited straight from the French form.

How the word is built

• issu- (from Old French issir, to go out, ultimately Latin exire)
• -er (agent suffix: one who does)