'ankylotomy' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'ankylos' and 'tomia', where 'ankylos' meant 'bent, crooked, or stiff/fused' and 'tomia' meant 'cutting'.

'ankylotomy' was formed in modern medical Latin/English in the 19th century from the combining form 'ankylo-' (from Greek 'ankylos') plus the suffix '-tomy' (from Greek 'tomia'), producing the term for the surgical cutting of a fused joint.

Initially, the Greek roots referred to 'bent' or 'crooked' and 'cutting'; over time the compound came to denote specifically the surgical division of an ankylosed (fused/stiff) joint.