wisselaar

Wisselaar is a Dutch noun formed from the verb wisselen, meaning to exchange or swap, with the agent suffix -aar. The basic sense of the word is someone or something that exchanges or trades one thing for another. In everyday language, a wisselaar can refer to a person who trades goods or services, or to an intermediary who facilitates exchanges between parties.

In common usage, more specific terms are often preferred. For example, a person who trades currencies or other financial assets is usually described as a handelaar or, in the context of currency, through the expression wisselkantoor rather than wisselaar. The word can also appear in casual settings when people swap items such as books or games, though terms like ruilpartner or simply ruilen are also used.

In specialized or technical contexts, wisselaar appears as part of compound terms. A well-known example is warmtewisselaar, the Dutch word for a heat exchanger, which denotes a device that transfers heat between two fluids. In such compounds, wisselaar denotes an exchanger in general, not a person.

Etymology and related terms: wisselaar is built from wisselen and the agent suffix -aar, aligning with related Dutch words for people who perform actions, such as verkoper (seller) or handelaar (merchant). Related concepts include wissel (exchange, swap) and wisselkantoor (currency exchange office).

See also: wissel, wisselkantoor, handelaar, ruil, warmtewisselaar.