'amoebida' originates from the Greek word 'amoibē,' meaning 'change' or 'exchange,' referring to the changing shape of these organisms.

'amoibē' transformed into the Latin word 'amoeba,' and eventually became the modern English word 'amoebida' through scientific classification.

Initially, it referred to any organism with changing shapes, but over time it evolved into its current meaning of a specific order of protozoans.