'arsenophagy' originates from modern scientific formation using Greek elements, specifically the Greek 'arsenikon' and 'phagein', where 'arsenikon' meant 'arsenic' and 'phagein' meant 'to eat'.

'arsenophagy' was formed in English from Neo-Latin/Greek-based components (compare Neo-Latin 'arsenophagia'), combining Latinized 'arsen-' (from Greek 'arsenikon') with the Greek-derived suffix '-phagy' (from 'phagein'), producing a term used in medical, toxicological, and anthropological literature.

Initially it referred specifically to the act of consuming arsenic; over time that core meaning has remained essentially the same and is still used to denote ingestion of arsenic-containing substances.