Outcall

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A scenario where a service provider travels to a client's specified location to perform a particular service for an appointment A situation in which a professional moves to a client's venue for service provision as agreed upon A service format that involves a provider going to the location chosen by the client to meet their needs
2. An arrangement where a specialist performs their service by traveling to the client’s site instead of the client visiting the provider’s place
3. A mode of service delivery in which the professional visits the customer’s designated place to carry out the agreed work

Etymology: The word "outcall" is a plain compound: "out" (from Old English "ūt," meaning outside or away from a place) joined to "call," which comes from Old English "ceallian" and ultimately from a Germanic root related to shouting or summoning. Put together, the idea is a call that goes outward, so a service dispatched to where the client is rather than the client coming in. The "call" half has a longer history than the "out" half might suggest. Its ancestor, Old English "ceallian," gave Middle English "callen" and eventually the modern verb, and the same stem sits behind older words for shouting and summoning. The pairing with "out" follows a common English pattern, in which "out" added to a verb marks movement away from a central point, as in "outgo" or "outrun."