'dodge' originates from English (probably dialectal/imitative origin), specifically an early formative 'dodg-' used to indicate a sudden jerk or quick movement.

'dodge' appeared in early modern English as 'dodg-' or 'dodge' meaning a quick movement; by the 16th–18th centuries the word extended to mean avoiding or evading and developed the related noun sense 'trick' and later legal/financial senses (e.g., 'tax dodge').

Initially, it meant 'a quick or jerking movement'; over time it evolved into the broader senses 'avoid by quick movement' and 'avoid or evade (often by trickery),' which are the current common usages.