'algorism' originates from the Old French 'algorisme', which was derived from the name of the Persian mathematician Al-Khwarizmi, whose works introduced the decimal positional number system to the Western world.

'algorisme' in Old French transformed into 'algorism' in Middle English, eventually becoming the modern English word 'algorism'.

Initially, it referred specifically to the arithmetic system using Arabic numerals, but over time it evolved to include the broader concept of algorithms.