Root of the word really means: something that is sent out or delivered (supplies, a magazine, a child). How it became a euphemism for a problem, a bug, a point of disagreement or a failure would be an interesting bit of research. Perhaps it derived from the phrase "bring the matter to an issue", in which case the word issue means "solution" or "decision", which makes a lot more sense than calling the problem itself an "issue".

submitted by Dwight C

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