'flexibility' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'flexibilis', where 'flex-' (from 'flectere') meant 'to bend'.

'flexibility' changed from the Medieval/Latin word 'flexibilis' and via French influences (e.g. 'flexibilité') eventually became the modern English word 'flexibility'.

Initially, it meant 'the capacity to be bent' (physical bending), but over time it evolved to include the broader current meaning of 'the ability to adapt or allow leeway'.