'arthropterous' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'arthron' and 'pteron', where 'arthron' meant 'joint' and 'pteron' meant 'wing'.

'arthropterous' was formed in modern scientific English (via New Latin-style coinage) by combining the Greek-derived prefix 'arthro-' and the suffix '-pterous'; it appears in specialized biological and paleontological descriptions from the 19th century onward.

Initially and historically it has meant 'having jointed wings' (a descriptive biological trait), and this core meaning has remained consistent in modern use.