'arecolidin' originates from New Latin, specifically the word 'Areca' (the genus name for the areca palm), where 'Areca' referred to the areca (betel) nut.

'arecolidin' developed from the botanical name 'Areca' combined with the chemical/alkaloid suffix '-in' (common in names of alkaloids) and by analogy with related names such as 'arecoline', evolving into the specific modern name 'arecolidin'.

Initially the element of the name simply indicated origin from the areca nut; over time it came to name a specific chemical alkaloid with defined structure and biological effects.