'annunciate' originates from Latin, specifically the verb 'annuntiare' (past participle 'annuntiatus'), where the prefix 'ad-' (later assimilated to 'an-') meant 'to/toward' and 'nuntiare' meant 'to announce' (from 'nuntius' meaning 'messenger').

'annunciate' passed into Late Latin as 'annuntiare', then into Old French and Middle English (in forms such as 'annuncien'/'annunciaten'), eventually becoming the modern English 'annunciate'.

Initially it meant 'to bring or announce tidings' (often with a sense of a messenger delivering news); over time it retained the sense of 'to announce' but acquired a formal or literary/religious nuance (e.g., announcing a divine revelation).