coherencecoherence

Coherence comes from Middle French coherence, from Latin cohaerēns ‘uniting, cohering, adhering’, and ultimately from haereō ‘to stick, stick fast’.

1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhaereō¹‘to stick, stick fast’
2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcohaereō¹‘to cling, cleave or stick (closely) together’
3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcohaerēns¹‘uniting, cohering, adhering’
4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcohaerentia¹
5. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600coherence¹
6. Englishearliest quotation 1898coherence¹

1. ¹ Wiktionary, English coherence
2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1898, Henry James: “Mrs. Grose listened with dumb emotion; she forbore to…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.