'sensibility' originates from French, specifically the word 'sensibilité', where the element 'sens-' traces to Latin 'sensus' meaning 'feeling' (from 'sentire', 'to feel') and the suffix '-ibility/-ibilité' marks a quality or capacity.

'sensibility' passed into English from French (sensibilité) in the 17th century; the French term itself derives from Latin 'sensus' (feeling) and ultimately from the verb 'sentire' (to feel).

Initially, it meant 'the faculty or capacity of feeling'; over time it expanded to include refined aesthetic taste and collective or moral sensitivities (e.g., 'public sensibilities').