'impossibility' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'impossibilitas', where 'im-' meant 'not' and 'possibilis' meant 'able to be done'.

'impossibilitas' transformed into the Old French word 'impossibilité', and eventually became the modern English word 'impossibility'.

Initially, it meant 'not able to be done', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.