'disputation' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'disputatio,' where 'dis-' meant 'apart' and 'putare' meant 'to reckon or think.'

'disputatio' transformed into the Old French word 'disputacion,' and eventually became the modern English word 'disputation' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'a reckoning or calculation,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'formal debate or argumentation.'