'bract' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'bractea', where 'bractea' meant 'a thin plate of metal' or 'a thin leaf/leaf-like layer'.

'bract' changed from Latin 'bractea' into Medieval Latin/Old French forms (e.g. 'bractee') and then entered Middle English as 'bracte', eventually becoming the modern English word 'bract'.

Initially, it meant 'a thin sheet or plate (of metal)' and later extended to mean a thin or leaf-like plate; over time it evolved into the botanical sense of a 'leaf-like structure associated with a flower or inflorescence'.