'empanel' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'enpaneler', where the prefix 'en-' meant 'in/into' or 'to make' and 'panel' meant 'a piece (panel) (originally a piece of cloth).

'empanel' changed from Old French 'enpaneler' into Middle English as 'empanelen' and eventually became the modern English word 'empanel'. The element 'panel' itself came from Old French 'panel', from Latin 'pannellus' (diminutive of 'pannus' meaning 'cloth').

Initially it related to 'furnishing with panels' or a piece/list (from 'panel'), but over time the verb developed a legal sense meaning 'to select and place on a panel (especially jurors)'.