'ankylopoietic' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'ankyl(o)-' from 'ankylos' and '-poietic' from 'poiein'/'-poietikos', where 'ankylos' meant 'bent, crooked (and by extension fused)' and 'poiein' meant 'to make'.

'ankylopoietic' was formed in modern medical/technical English from the Greek combining form 'ankyl(o)-' (via New Latin 'ankylosis') plus the Greek-derived suffix '-poietic' ('forming'), producing a specialized adjective meaning 'causing ankylosis' in medical contexts.

Initially the Greek root 'ankylos' had the basic sense of 'bent' or 'crooked' (with related senses of fusion or stiffness); over time, in medical English the compound came to mean specifically 'causing joint fusion or stiffening'.