Added 8 October 2026
issue
/ˈɪʃuː/ noun
Latin root: exeō Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about issue at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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An important question that is in dispute and must be settled.
the issue could be settled by requiring public education for everyone
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One of a series published periodically.
she found an old issue of the magazine in her dentist's waiting room
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Some situation or event that is thought about.
he kept drifting off the topic
verb
Origin
From Middle English issue, from Old French issue (“an exit, a way out”), feminine past participle of issir (“to exit”), from Latin exeō (“go out, exit”), from prefix ex- (“out”) + eō (“go”). The legal meaning originated from the concept of "the end or result of pleadings in a suit (by presenting the point to be determined by trial)," leading to the sense of "the controversy over facts in a trial" (early 14th century, Anglo-French). This later extended to mean "a point of contention between two parties" (early 15th century) and more generally, "an important point to be decided" (1836).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)