'androdioecious' originates from Greek, specifically the words 'andro-' meaning 'man, male' and 'dioecious' meaning 'of two houses' (from 'di-' meaning 'two' and 'oikos' meaning 'house').

'androdioecious' was formed in modern scientific English by combining the Greek roots 'andro-' and 'dioecious' to describe a specific reproductive system in biology.

Initially, it referred specifically to the presence of both male and hermaphroditic individuals in a population, and this meaning has remained consistent in scientific usage.