'Amorite' originates from Akkadian, specifically the word 'Amurru', where the root meant 'western' or referred to the region of the west (the west-land).

'Amorite' changed from the Akkadian word 'Amurru' into Biblical Hebrew 'ʿEmori(yyim)' (Hebrew: ʿÊmôrî), passed into Greek and Latin forms (e.g. Latin 'Amoritae'), and eventually became the modern English term 'Amorite' (plural 'Amorites').

Initially, it meant 'persons/people of Amurru' or broadly 'westerners', but over time it became the proper name for that specific ancient people and, in later religious texts, a designation for certain inhabitants of Canaan.