'apogee' originates from French, specifically the word 'apogée', where the element 'apo-' (from Greek) meant 'away' and Greek 'gē' (or 'gaia') meant 'earth'.

'apogee' changed from the French word 'apogée', via Late Latin 'apogaeum' (from Greek), and eventually became the modern English word 'apogee'.

Initially, it meant 'the point farthest from the Earth' (an astronomical sense), but over time it also evolved into the figurative meaning 'the highest or most successful point'.