'cessation' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'cessatio', where 'cess-' (from 'cessare'/'cedere') meant 'to stop, yield, or go slowly'.

'cessation' changed from Old French/Anglo-French forms such as 'cessacion' and entered Middle English as 'cession'/'cessacioun', eventually becoming the modern English word 'cessation'.

Initially, it meant 'a stopping or delay', and over time it evolved into the current meaning of 'the act of stopping or coming to an end'.