'imperfection' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'imperfectio', where 'im-' meant 'not' and 'perfectio' meant 'completion or perfection'.

'imperfectio' transformed into the Old French word 'imperfection', and eventually became the modern English word 'imperfection'.

Initially, it meant 'the state of being incomplete or flawed', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.