'ankylotic' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'ankylos', where 'ankyl-' meant 'crooked, bent, or joined/fused', combined with the Greek suffix '-tikos' meaning 'pertaining to'.

'ankylotic' developed via medical/New Latin and French formations from Greek 'ankylos' (Late Greek) → Late Latin/New Latin medical terms such as 'ankylosis' and adjective forms (French 'ankylotique' etc.), and eventually entered modern English as the adjective 'ankylotic' through scientific and medical usage.

Initially the Greek root meant 'crooked' or 'bent'; over time the term acquired a medical sense of 'stiffened or fused (especially of a joint)', which is its current primary usage.