'exile' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'exilium', where 'ex-' meant 'out of' and 'solum' meant 'soil or ground'.

'exilium' transformed into the Old French word 'exil', and eventually became the modern English word 'exile' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'banishment from one's country', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.