这种音乐作品的类型起源于1590年代，fuge一词来自意大利语fuga，字面意思是“飞翔”，也有“热情”的意思。它源自拉丁语fuga，意为“逃跑”或“逃离”，而这个词又来自fugere，意为“逃跑”（参见fugitive（形容词））。现代英语拼写（1660年代）源自法语对意大利词的借用。
A Fugue is a composition founded upon one subject, announced at first in one part alone, and subsequently imitated by all the other parts in turn, according to certain general principles to be hereafter explained. The name is derived from the Latin word fuga, a flight, from the idea that one part starts on its course alone, and that those which enter later are pursuing it. ["Fugue," Ebenezer Prout, 1891]
赋格曲是一种以一个主题为基础的音乐作品，最初由一个声部单独演奏，随后其他声部依照一定的原则轮流模仿这个主题。这个名称源自拉丁语fuga，意为“飞翔”，因为最初只有一个声部独自演奏，而后来加入的声部则像是在追赶它。——《赋格曲》，埃比尼泽·普劳特，1891年
