'apothegmatic' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'apophthegmatikos' (related to 'apophthegm'/'apophthegma'), where 'apophthegma' meant 'a pithy saying' (a terse utterance).

'apothegmatic' changed from Greek 'apophthegma' into Late Latin and Medieval Latin forms (for example 'apophthegma'), then entered Old/Middle French as 'apothegme' and Middle English as 'apothegm', eventually developing the English adjective 'apothegmatic'.

Initially it referred to 'a pithy saying' (the noun); over time the adjective form came to mean 'having the quality of being terse and aphoristic', i.e., 'concise and pointed in expression'.