'apopetalous' originates from New Latin, formed from the Greek elements 'apo-' and 'petalon', where 'apo-' meant 'away, off, separate' and 'petalon' meant 'leaf' or 'petal'.

'apopetalous' was formed in New Latin from Greek components (apo- + petalon) and was adopted into botanical English usage in the 19th century to describe floral morphology.

Initially, the formation described the condition 'petals separate or set apart', and it has retained that technical botanical meaning in modern usage.