'scrollwork' is a compound of 'scroll' and 'work'. 'scroll' originates from Old French, specifically words like 'escrolle' (meaning a roll or rolled document), where the root referred to a 'roll'; 'work' originates from Old English 'weorc', meaning 'something done' or 'a task'.

'scroll' entered Middle English from Old French (with Medieval Latin influence), originally referring to a rolled manuscript or strip of parchment and later extended to denote spiral decorative motifs. 'work' developed from Old English 'weorc' and combined with nouns to indicate a product or activity, producing the compound 'scrollwork' in modern English.

Initially, 'scroll' primarily meant a rolled manuscript or roll; over time the sense broadened to include spiral or rolled decorative motifs, and 'scrollwork' came to mean the ornamental patterns or the crafted object featuring such motifs.