'al-Qur'an' originates from Arabic, specifically the word 'al-Qur'ān' (القرآن), where 'al-' meant 'the' and 'Qur'ān' meant 'recitation'.

'al-Qur'an' changed from Arabic into Medieval and Early Modern European usages (e.g. Medieval Latin and French forms such as 'Coran' or 'Qoran') and later entered modern English with variant spellings like 'Koran', 'Quran' and 'Qur'an'.

Initially it meant 'recitation' (a recited text or reading), and over time it came to be used as the title of the Islamic holy book, retaining the connotation of a revealed recitation.