outlander n.

Old English utlendisc "of a foreign country, not native," from utland "foreign land," literally "outland" (see out- + land (n.)) + -ish. The original sense is archaic or obsolete. The meaning "unfamiliar, strange, odd, uncouth, bizarre" (such as the customs of foreigners may seem to natives) is attested from 1590s. Compare German ausländisch, Danish udenlandsk, etc. Old English utland also could mean "land lying beyond the limits of occupation or cultivation," a sense that survived into Modern English. Related: Outlandishly; outlandishness.

English agent noun ending, corresponding to Latin -or. In native words it represents Old English -ere (Old Northumbrian also -are) "man who has to do with," from Proto-Germanic *-ari (cognates: German -er, Swedish -are, Danish -ere), from Proto-Germanic *-arjoz. Some believe this root is identical with, and perhaps a borrowing of, Latin -arius (see -ary).

Generally used with native Germanic words. In words of Latin origin, verbs derived from past participle stems of Latin ones (including most verbs in -ate) usually take the Latin ending -or, as do Latin verbs that passed through French (such as governor); but there are many exceptions (eraser, laborer, promoter, deserter; sailor, bachelor), some of which were conformed from Latin to English in late Middle English.

The use of -or and -ee in legal language (such as lessor/lessee) to distinguish actors and recipients of action has given the -or ending a tinge of professionalism, and this makes it useful in doubling words that have a professional and a non-professional sense (such as advisor/adviser, conductor/conducter, incubator/incubater, elevator/elevater).