'reproval' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'reprobare', where 're-' meant 'again/back' and 'probare' meant 'to test/approve'.

'reproval' changed from the Middle English/Old French formations related to 'reprove' (from Old French reprover/reprover), and eventually became the modern English noun 'reproval' by the addition of the suffix '-al'.

Initially connected with 'reproving' or 'finding unworthy' (the act of rejecting or declaring faulty), over time it narrowed into the modern sense of an expression of disapproval or a formal rebuke.