'falsifiability' originates from English, formed by the adjective 'falsifiable' (from the verb 'falsify') plus the noun-forming suffix '-ity'; 'falsify' ultimately derives from Latin 'falsificare', where 'falsus' meant 'false/deceived' and '-ficare' (from 'facere') meant 'to make'.

'falsifiability' developed in modern English from Late Latin/Latin roots: Latin 'falsificare' (to make false) produced derivatives in Medieval and Late Latin and later Old French, and English borrowed the verb 'falsify' and formed the adjective 'falsifiable' before coining the noun 'falsifiability'.

Initially related to the action 'to make false' or 'to falsify' in Latin, the sense evolved into the abstract quality 'capability of being shown false'; in modern usage it has become a technical term in the philosophy of science meaning 'capable of being empirically refuted'.