'disfellowship' originates from English, specifically from the prefix 'dis-' (from Latin) added to 'fellowship' (from Old English 'feolaga'/'fēolaga'), where 'dis-' meant 'not, apart' and 'fellow' meant 'companion, partner'.

'disfellowship' developed in English by combining the negative prefix 'dis-' with the existing noun 'fellowship' (Old English elements: 'fellow' from Old Norse/Old English 'félagi'/'feolaga' and suffix '-ship' from Old English 'scipe' meaning 'state or condition'), producing a word meaning 'the state of being without fellowship' and later used specifically for formal exclusion.

Initially it meant 'the absence or lack of fellowship'; over time it came to be used chiefly to mean 'formal expulsion or exclusion from a religious community' (a disciplinary action).