'exchanger' originates from Middle English, specifically the word 'exchange' (from Old French 'eschangier' and Vulgar Latin 'excambiare'), where the prefix 'ex-' meant 'out/from' and the root 'cambiare' meant 'to barter or exchange'.

'exchanger' changed from the Middle English verb/noun 'exchange' (borrowed from Old French 'eschangier' and ultimately from Vulgar Latin 'excambiare'), and the agent noun was formed by adding the suffix '-er' to create 'exchanger'.

Initially, related words meant 'to barter or swap'; over time the sense broadened to mean both 'a person or place that conducts exchanges' and 'a device that transfers (for example, heat) between media'.