'aphorise' originates from Greek, specifically the verb 'aphorizō' (ἀφορίζω), where 'apo-' meant 'away, off' and 'horizein' meant 'to bound, limit'.

'aphorise' came into English via Late Latin and Middle French usages of Greek medical and philosophical terms (e.g. Latinized forms from Greek), and developed into the English verb 'aphorise/aphorize' in the 17th century.

Initially related to 'separating off' or 'defining' (as in setting boundaries or definitions), it evolved to mean 'state briefly or in a pithy form' — i.e., to express as an aphorism.