'mapping' derives from the noun 'map' plus the suffix '-ing'. 'map' in modern English comes from Medieval Latin 'mappa' meaning 'napkin' or 'cloth', extended to mean a 'sheet used to represent geographical information'.

'map' entered English in the late 16th century from Medieval Latin 'mappa'; the verb 'to map' (to make a map or represent spatial relationships) developed later, and the gerund/derivative form 'mapping' arose from adding the suffix '-ing'.

Originally 'mappa' meant 'napkin/cloth', then came to mean a sheet used for representation; over time this developed into the modern senses of 'map' and then 'mapping' as an act or representation of relationships.