'arthromeningitis' originates from New Latin/medical coinage, specifically combining Greek roots: 'arthron' and 'meninx' (via 'mening-'), where 'arthron' meant 'joint' and 'mēninx' meant 'membrane'.

'arthromeningitis' was formed in modern medical terminology by combining the Greek-derived prefix 'arthro-' (from 'arthron', 'joint') with 'meningitis' (from Greek 'mēninx' → Latin/Neo-Latin 'mening-' + '-itis'), creating a compound meaning 'inflammation of joints and meninges'.

Initially the component roots independently meant 'joint' and 'inflammation of the membranes'; over time the compound came to be used specifically to denote a clinical condition involving inflammation of both joints and the meninges.