'battery' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'baterie', where the root 'batre' or 'battre' meant 'to beat'.

'battery' changed from Old French 'baterie' into Middle English 'baterie' and eventually became the modern English word 'battery'; the Old French term itself derived from Latin 'battuere' or 'battere' meaning 'to beat'.

Initially, it meant 'a beating' or 'the act of striking'; over time it broadened to mean 'a group of guns' and later also 'a device that provides electrical energy', among related senses.