'arteriovenous' originates from Modern Latin 'arteriovenosus', a compound of 'arterio-' (from Latin 'arteria', meaning 'artery') and 'venous' (from Latin 'venosus', from 'vena', meaning 'vein').

'arteriovenosus' entered medical English via New/Modern Latin in the 18th–19th century and became the English adjective 'arteriovenous' used to describe structures involving both arteries and veins.

Initially it meant 'pertaining to arteries and veins', and this core meaning has remained largely unchanged in modern medical usage.