'brainstorm' originates from the combination of 'brain' and 'storm', where 'brain' refers to the mind and 'storm' suggests a tumultuous or intense activity.

'brainstorm' was first used in the early 20th century to describe a sudden mental disturbance or confusion, but later evolved to mean a sudden idea or a group idea generation process.

Initially, it meant 'a sudden mental disturbance', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a sudden idea or group idea generation'.