'sura' originates from Arabic, specifically the word 'sūrah' (سورة), where the root conveyed the sense of a 'row, succession' or an 'enclosed set'.

'sura' entered European scholarly and religious usage via Arabic in the modern period and appeared in English texts as 'sura' or the variant spelling 'surah', ultimately becoming established in English with the current form 'sura'.

Initially the Arabic term could carry a general sense of a 'row' or 'enclosure'; in English it came to be used specifically for a 'chapter of the Qur'an'.