'ankylodactyly' originates from Greek, specifically the words 'ankylos' and 'dáktylos', where 'ankylos' meant 'crooked, bent, (and by extension) fused/rigid' and 'dáktylos' meant 'finger'.

'ankylodactyly' was formed in New Latin/medical coinage from the Greek elements 'ankylos' + 'dáktylos' and entered modern English medical usage to describe fusion or rigidity of the digits.

Initially the roots literally described a 'bent or fused finger', and over time the composite term came to be used clinically to denote congenital or acquired fusion/stiffness of one or more digits.