The word “Apostille” (pronounced a-pos-TEE,  not a-pos-TEAL or a-pos-TILL-ee) is of French origin. It comes from the French verb “apostiller”, which derives from the old French word pastille meaning “annotation”, and before it the Latin word postilla , a variation of the word postea, which means “thereafter, afterwards, next”  Usage of the words “Apostille” and “apostiller” dates back to the end of the 16th century in France.; they were included in the first edition of the Dictionary of the Académie française in 1694, which provided the following definition:
“Apostille - An addition in the margin of a written document or at the bottom of a letter.

During the negotiations on the Convention, the term “Apostille” was preferred because of its novelty.