'aponeurotome' originates from New Latin/Greek, specifically the elements 'apo-' + 'neûron' + 'tomē', where 'apo-' meant 'away from', 'neûron' meant 'sinew, tendon' and 'tomē' meant 'a cutting (knife)'.

'aponeurotome' developed from the Greek components that formed 'aponeurosis' (Greek 'apo-' + 'neûron') and later combined with Greek 'tomē' in New Latin to form terms such as 'aponeurotoma'/'aponeurotome', which entered modern English as 'aponeurotome'.

Initially it meant 'an instrument for cutting an aponeurosis' and this meaning has remained largely unchanged in modern medical usage.