'apotropaion' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the word 'ἀποτρόπαιον (apotrópaion)', where the prefix 'ἀπο-' ('apo-') meant 'away' and the root from 'τρέπω/τρόπος' (trep-/tropos) meant 'to turn' or 'a turning'.

'apotropaion' passed into Late Latin and Medieval scholarly usage and was borrowed into English (often via the related adjective 'apotropaic'); the Greek 'apotrópaion' and Late Latin forms eventually yielded the modern English noun 'apotropaion'.

Initially it meant 'that which turns away (evil)', and over time it has retained that core sense as a term for objects or signs intended to avert harm or the evil eye.