Issue

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
issue /ˈɪʃ(j)uː, ˈɪsjuː/

▶noun

• 1 an important topic for debate or resolution.

  ■ (issues) informal personal problems or difficulties.

• 2 the action of issuing.

• 3 each of a regular series of publications.

  ■ a number or set of items issued at one time.

• 4 formal or Law children of one's own.

• 5 a result or outcome.

▶verb (issues, issuing, issued)

• 1 supply or distribute for use or sale.

  ■ (issue someone with) supply someone with.

  ■ formally send out or make known.

• 2 (issue from) come, go, or flow out from.

– phrases
at issue under discussion.
make an issue of treat too seriously or as a problem.
take issue with challenge.

– derivatives
issuable adjective,
issuance noun,
issueless adjective,
issuer noun.

– origin ME (in the sense ‘outflowing’): from OFr., based on L. exit-, exire ‘go out’.