'aphesic' ultimately originates from the Greek noun 'aphesis' (ἄφϵσις) via New Latin/English linguistic usage; 'aphesis' referred to 'a letting go' or 'release' and was adopted in linguistic contexts to mean loss of an initial sound.

'aphesic' developed from the Greek 'aphesis' (ἄφϵσις) into New Latin/technical usage and then into English as the adjective 'aphesic' describing forms affected by aphesis.

Initially in Greek 'aphesis' meant 'letting go' or 'release'; over time the term was specialized in linguistic description to mean the 'loss or omission of an initial sound', and 'aphesic' came to mean 'relating to or showing that loss'.