'dot-dot-dot' originates from English, specifically a reduplication of the word 'dot,' where 'dot' meant 'a small round mark or point.'

'dot' comes from Middle English 'dotte' (and related forms) and ultimately from earlier Germanic sources; the expression 'dot-dot-dot' is a modern, descriptive formation that names the visual sequence of three 'dot' marks and became used to refer to the ellipsis in informal contexts.

Initially, 'dot' referred simply to a small mark; the repeated form 'dot-dot-dot' developed to describe the specific punctuation of three dots and its communicative uses (omission, pause, trailing off), a meaning that has remained stable in modern usage.