'baraita' originates from Aramaic, specifically the word 'ברייתא', where the term originally meant 'external' or 'outside' (referring to teachings outside the Mishnah).

'baraita' was used in Rabbinic and Medieval Hebrew literature as a technical term for teachings transmitted outside the Mishnah; the word was later adopted into English through modern Judaic scholarship and translations.

Initially, it meant 'external' or 'outside' (generally), and over time it became specialized to mean 'a tannaitic teaching not included in the Mishnah'.