'araneology' originates from New Latin/Latin, specifically the word 'aranea' (from Latin) and the Greek element 'logia'/'-logy', where 'aranea' meant 'spider' and 'logia' meant 'study' or 'discourse'.

'araneology' was formed in modern scientific usage from New Latin 'araneologia', itself derived from Latin 'aranea' (from Greek 'aráchnē'), combined with Greek 'logia'; this coinage developed into the modern English term 'araneology'.

Initially it combined roots meaning 'spider' and 'study', and over time it has come to mean specifically 'the scientific study of spiders'.