'apiculus' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'apiculus', a diminutive of 'apex', where 'apex' meant 'summit, tip' (from the Proto-Indo-European root *ak- 'sharp').

'apiculus' entered scientific English from New Latin (used in botanical and anatomical descriptions) largely unchanged as 'apiculus'.

Initially it meant 'small little apex or tip' in Latin, and over time it has retained that sense in English, coming to be used specifically for small apical projections in biological description.