'applique' originates from French, specifically the word 'appliqué', past participle of 'appliquer', ultimately from Latin 'applicāre' where 'ad-' meant 'to, toward' and 'plicāre' (from plic-) meant 'to fold or join'.

'applique' came into English from French 'appliqué' (past participle of 'appliquer') in the 19th century; that French form derived from Late Latin 'applicāre' and Latin 'applicō', and earlier from the Latin elements 'ad-' + 'plicāre'.

Initially it meant 'to attach or apply (by folding or joining)', and over time it became specialized to mean the textile technique and the decorative piece produced by that technique ('a piece of fabric applied to another').