'appetite' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'appetitus', where 'ad-' meant 'toward' and 'petere' meant 'to seek'.

'appetite' changed from Old French 'apetit' (and Middle English forms such as 'apetyt') and eventually became the modern English word 'appetite'.

Initially, it meant 'a desire' in general, but over time it evolved into its current primary sense of 'a desire for food' while retaining broader senses of 'desire'.