'aphrodisiac' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'aphrodisiakos', related to 'Aphrodite' (the goddess of love), where the element referred to things 'of Aphrodite' or 'pertaining to love.'

'aphrodisiac' entered English via Late Latin 'aphrodisiacus' and Middle French 'aphrodisiaque' and eventually became the modern English word 'aphrodisiac'.

Initially it meant 'of or relating to Aphrodite' or 'pertaining to love/sexual desire', and over time it came to mean specifically 'something that stimulates sexual desire', a sense that has largely remained.