'indeterminate' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'indeterminatus,' where 'in-' meant 'not' and 'determinatus' meant 'limited or defined.'

'indeterminatus' transformed into the French word 'indéterminé,' and eventually became the modern English word 'indeterminate' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'not limited or defined,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.