'arietinous' originates from Latin, specifically the Late Latin word 'arietinus', where 'aries'/'ariet-' meant 'ram'.

'arietinous' derives from Late Latin 'arietinus' (formed from 'aries' meaning 'ram'); the term passed into scholarly English usage from Medieval/Late Latin formations describing things 'of a ram' or 'like a battering-ram'.

Initially, it meant 'of or pertaining to a ram (or a battering-ram)'; over time it has been used to describe actions or qualities that are ramlike—forceful, headlong, or battering in nature.