'apathy' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'apatheia', where the prefix 'a-' meant 'without' and 'pathos' meant 'feeling' or 'suffering'.

'apathy' came into English via Late Latin and French forms from the Greek 'apatheia'; the Greek term 'apatheia' (from 'a-' + 'pathos') evolved into Late Latin 'apatheia' and then into English as 'apathy'.

Initially, it meant 'absence of passion or suffering' in a more philosophical or clinical sense, but over time it broadened to the common modern meaning of 'lack of interest or concern'.