'aortoclasia' originates from Greek medical elements: 'aortē' (ἀορτή) meaning 'aorta' and 'klasis' (κλάσις) meaning 'a breaking'.

'aortoclasia' was formed in medical Latin/Neo-Latin by combining the prefix 'aorto-' (from Greek 'aortē') and the suffix '-clasia'/'-clasis' (from Greek 'klasis'), and was adopted into English medical usage to denote rupture of the aorta.

Initially and historically it has meant 'breaking or rupture of the aorta'; this core meaning has remained consistent in medical contexts.