'arteriectasis' originates from Greek/Neo-Latin medical formation, combining the combining form 'arteri-' from Latin/Greek 'arteria' meaning 'artery' and the Greek-derived suffix '-ectasis' meaning 'dilation' or 'extension'.

'arteriectasis' is a modern medical compound formed by joining 'arteri-' (from Latin 'arteria', itself from Greek 'ἀρτηρία' [arteria]) and '-ectasis' (from Greek 'ἐκτασις' [ektasis], meaning 'extension' or 'dilation'). The element '-ectasis' entered medical Latin and English via Neo-Latin and 19th–20th century medical usage to denote dilation of tubular structures.

Initially the roots meant 'artery' and 'extension/dilation' separately; in modern medical usage they combine to mean specifically 'dilation of an artery' (a pathological widening).