'mandragora' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'mandragora', which in turn comes from Greek 'μάνδραγορας' (transliterated 'mandragoras'); the ultimate origin is uncertain and has been linked by scholars to various Near Eastern languages.

'mandragora' changed from Greek 'mandragoras' into Latin 'mandragora' and later entered Middle English (often alongside or replaced by the related form 'mandrake'), eventually surviving in modern English as 'mandragora'.

Initially, it referred to the plant itself; over time the term also came to denote the plant's root as an object of folklore and magical belief (the 'mandrake' root).