'erotesis' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'erōtēsis' (ἐρώτησις), where the root 'erōta-' meant 'question' or 'to ask'.

'erotesis' came into scholarly English via Medieval and Classical Latin and the study of Greek rhetoric; the Ancient Greek 'erōtēsis' was adopted into Latin texts and later entered English usage in rhetorical and philological contexts.

Initially it simply meant 'a question' or 'the act of asking'; over time it narrowed to the specific rhetorical sense of a question posed for effect rather than information.