'elicit' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'elicere,' where 'e-' meant 'out' and 'licere' meant 'to entice or lure.'

'elicere' transformed into the French word 'éliciter,' and eventually became the modern English word 'elicit' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'to draw out or entice,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.