'laissez-faire' originates from French, specifically the words 'laisser' and 'faire', where 'laisser' meant 'to let' and 'faire' meant 'to do.'

'laissez-faire' entered English from French in the late 18th to early 19th century, retaining the French form 'laissez-faire' as used in economic and political writings (notably by the Physiocrats and later economists).

Initially it literally meant 'let do' in French; over time in English it evolved to denote the doctrine or general attitude of noninterference, especially in economic matters.