'Luddism' originates from English, specifically from the name 'Ludd' (as in 'Luddite') plus the suffix '-ism', where 'Ludd' referred to the folkloric or real figure Ned Ludd associated with machine-breaking and '-ism' meant 'doctrine, movement, or practice'.

'Luddism' developed from the term 'Luddite', which arose in early 19th-century England referring to workers who opposed mechanization; the personal name 'Ned Ludd' (possibly apocryphal) became the label 'Luddite', and adding '-ism' produced 'Luddism' to denote the movement or ideology.

Initially, it meant the specific 1810s movement of textile workers who destroyed machinery; over time it broadened to mean any opposition to new technology or technological change.