'aposiopesis' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'aposiōpēsis', where the prefix 'apo-' meant 'away from' and the root 'siōpē' meant 'silence'.

'aposiopesis' passed into Late Latin from Greek and was adopted into English (through scholarly and literary use) largely retaining the original form 'aposiopesis'.

Initially it meant 'a becoming silent' or 'a state of silence', but over time it evolved into the rhetorical sense 'the deliberate breaking off of speech', used to convey emotion or implication.