'actinoneuritis' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'aktinos' meaning 'ray' and 'neuron' meaning 'nerve', combined with the suffix '-itis' indicating inflammation.

'aktinos' and 'neuron' were combined in medical terminology to form 'actinoneuritis', which has been used in modern English to describe nerve inflammation due to radiation.

Initially, it meant 'inflammation of a nerve due to rays', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.