'apneusis' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'apneustēs'/'apneusis', where the prefix 'a-' meant 'not' or 'without' and the root related to 'pneuein'/'pneust-' meant 'to breathe'.

'apneusis' passed into medical Latin and later into modern medical English as 'apneusis' (used in descriptions of abnormal respiration), retaining its Greek form through scholarly usage.

Initially formed from elements meaning 'without breathing' or relating to altered breathing, the term evolved to denote a specific pattern of abnormal respiration (prolonged inspiration with a pause) rather than a general absence of breath.