'arrestation' originates from French, specifically the word 'arrestation', ultimately from Old French 'arester' (later French 'arrêter'), where the verb meant 'to stop, to halt'.

'arrestation' changed from Old French 'arestacion' and Middle French 'arrestation' and entered English use (occasionally via legal and administrative language), eventually becoming the modern English noun 'arrestation'.

Initially it meant 'a stopping or halting', but over time it evolved into the current meaning of 'the act of arresting or detaining a person' (and in some legal contexts 'seizure' of property).