The Spanish verb 'quitar' (meaning 'to remove' or 'take away') traces back to Medieval Latin 'quitare' meaning 'to release or discharge.' This Medieval Latin term developed from the Latin word 'quietus' meaning 'quiet' or 'at rest.' The semantic evolution from 'being at rest' to 'releasing' and finally to 'removing' shows how the concept of setting something to rest eventually came to mean taking something away entirely.

A common related Spanish word is 'quieto' meaning 'still' or 'quiet,' which maintains a meaning closer to the original Latin 'quietus.' You can see how both 'quitar' (to remove) and 'quieto' (still) share the concept of something being settled or put to rest, though 'quitar' took on a more active meaning of removing something entirely.

English speakers might recognize the connection to words like 'quiet,' 'quit,' and even 'acquit,' all of which come from the same Latin root 'quietus.' While 'quiet' retained the original meaning of being at rest or peaceful, 'quit' developed to mean 'to leave' or 'to stop,' which is somewhat parallel to how Spanish 'quitar' came to mean 'to remove.' 'Acquit' meaning 'to release from a charge' preserves the Medieval Latin sense of 'release' or 'discharge.'