'amelogenic' originates from New Latin, specifically the word 'amelogenesis', where the combining form 'amelo-' meant 'enamel' and the suffix '-genic' meant 'producing'.

'amelogenesis' was coined in New Latin/medical terminology from the combining element 'amelo-' (relating to enamel) + Greek-derived suffix '-genesis' ('origin, formation'), and the English adjective 'amelogenic' arose from that scientific noun to describe things that produce or relate to enamel.

Initially, it meant 'producing enamel' in a scientific/medical sense; over time it has remained a specialized term referring specifically to processes, tissues, or cells involved in dental enamel formation.