'apogeotropically' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'apo', 'ge' and 'tropos', where 'apo' meant 'away', 'ge' meant 'earth' and 'tropos' meant 'turn'.

'apogeotropically' changed from New Latin scientific formations such as 'apogeotropicus' and the adjective 'apogeotropic' used in 19th- to 20th-century scientific literature, and eventually became the modern English adverb 'apogeotropically'.

Initially it meant 'pertaining to a turning away from the earth', and over time it has retained that specialized scientific meaning: 'in a manner directed away from the earth (gravity)'.