'stoppage' originates from English formed from the verb 'stop' plus the noun-forming suffix '-age', where 'stop' meant 'to cease movement or motion' and '-age' indicated an action or result.

'stoppage' developed in Middle English from Old French forms such as 'estoppage' (derived from estopper 'to stop up'), which in turn relates to Vulgar Latin roots (cf. stuppare 'to plug with tow'). Over time the Middle English form stabilized as 'stoppage' in modern English.

Initially it referred specifically to the act of stopping up or plugging (a physical plugging), but over time it broadened to mean any act or state of stopping, obstruction, interruption, or a deduction (as from pay).