'apodeipnon' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the word 'ἀποδείπνον' (apodeipnon), where 'apo-' meant 'away, after' and 'deipnon' meant 'dinner, meal'.

'apodeipnon' was used in classical Greek and has been carried into modern scholarly and literary English as the transliterated form 'apodeipnon', primarily in discussions of ancient Greek customs and texts.

Initially, it meant 'an evening meal or supper', and this sense has largely been retained in its modern scholarly usage.