'excommunicate' originates from Medieval Latin, specifically the word 'excommunicare', where 'ex-' meant 'out of' and 'communicare' meant 'to share' or 'to make common'.

'excommunicate' changed from the Medieval Latin word 'excommunicare', passed into Late Latin and then into Middle English (via ecclesiastical Latin and Late Latin usage) as 'excommunicaten', and eventually became the modern English word 'excommunicate'.

Initially it meant 'to put out of communion (i.e., remove from the common fellowship of the church)', and over time the meaning has remained centered on formal exclusion but has broadened to include secular or social exclusion from groups or communities.