'androgenize' originates from Modern Latin and Ancient Greek, specifically from the element 'andr-' from Greek 'anēr, andros' meaning 'man' combined with '-gen' from Greek 'gen-' meaning 'to produce' (which formed the scientific noun 'androgen'), and the verb-forming suffix '-ize' from Greek '-izein' via Latin and French meaning 'to make or render'.

'androgenize' developed by adding the English verb-forming suffix '-ize' to the scientific noun 'androgen' (borrowed into English from Modern Latin and Greek), producing the modern English verb 'androgenize'.

Initially the roots signified 'produce or generate male (characteristics)', and the modern verb has come to mean 'to cause male characteristics to develop or to administer male hormones', a specialized scientific or medical sense.