'apologia' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'apologia' (ἀπολογία), where 'apo-' meant 'away/from' and 'logos' meant 'speech'.

'apologia' passed into Latin as 'apologia' (late/medieval Latin) and was adopted into English from Latin, eventually becoming the modern English word 'apologia'.

Initially, it meant 'a speech in defense' in classical Greek contexts, but over time it evolved into the broader modern sense of 'a formal written or spoken defense' (including written apologias).