'requital' ultimately derives from the verb 'requite' (Middle English), itself from Old French 'requiter' and Medieval Latin 'requitare', where elements indicate repetition or giving back.

'requital' developed as a noun in Middle English from the verb 'requiten'/'requite' (borrowed from Old French 'requiter'), and the suffix -al produced the noun meaning 'an act of requiting'.

Originally associated primarily with 'repaying' or 'making return,' the word's sense broadened over time to include both neutral/positive returns (repayment, recompense) and negative returns (retribution, vengeance).