'arthralgic' originates from New Latin/Greek, specifically the Greek elements 'arthron' and 'algos', where 'arthron' meant 'joint' and 'algos' meant 'pain'.

'arthralgic' was formed via New Latin medical term 'arthralgia' (from Greek 'arthron' + 'algos') and was adopted into English as the adjective 'arthralgic' in medical usage.

Initially it meant 'pertaining to joint pain', and over time this medical sense has been retained as the word's primary meaning.