'apodema' originates from New Latin, specifically the word 'apodēma', ultimately from Ancient Greek 'ἀπόδημα' (apodēma), where the prefix 'apo-' meant 'away, off' and the element 'dēma' functioned as a nominal element in the original Greek form.

'apodema' entered scientific English usage via New Latin/Latinized Greek in anatomical and entomological texts; the Latinized Greek 'apodēma' was adopted into modern English terminology as 'apodema' (also seen as the variant 'apodeme').

Initially formed as a term from Greek/Latin denoting a structural element; over time its use narrowed in biology to denote specifically an internal exoskeletal ridge used for muscle attachment in arthropods.