'asclepiad' originates from New Latin, specifically the word 'Asclepiad-' (from the genus name 'Asclepias'), where 'Asclepias' was derived from the name of the Greek god 'Asclepius' and used for milkweed-type plants.

'asclepiad' passed into English from scientific New Latin 'Asclepiad-' (used to form family name Asclepiadaceae) and was also applied in literary contexts via the name Asclepiades (a Greek poet) to denote a particular metrical form; both routes produced the modern English noun 'asclepiad'.

Initially it referred chiefly to plants related to the genus Asclepias (members of the family Asclepiadaceae); over time it also came to denote a classical metrical form named after Asclepiades, so the word now carries both botanical and poetic senses.