'argali' originates from Mongolian, specifically the word 'argal', where 'argal' meant 'wild sheep'.

'argali' changed from the Mongolian word 'argal' and entered European scientific and common usage (via Russian and German naturalists) in the 18th–19th centuries, eventually becoming the modern English word 'argali'.

Initially, it meant 'a kind of wild sheep', and over time it has largely retained that meaning in English.