'compilation' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'compilatio,' where 'com-' meant 'together' and 'pilare' meant 'to gather or heap up.'

'compilatio' transformed into the Old French word 'compilation,' and eventually became the modern English word 'compilation' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'to gather or heap up,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a collection of items or the process of assembling information.'