'asclepiadae' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'Asclepiadae', ultimately from Greek 'Asklepiadai' (Ἀσκληπιάδαι), meaning the descendants or followers of 'Asklepios' (Asclepius), the Greek god of medicine.

'Asklepiadai' (ancient Greek) → Latin 'Asclepiadae' (used in classical and medieval Latin) → adopted into English usage as a plural noun applied to both the historical guild of physicians and, later, in botanical Latin for the plant family (Asclepiadaceae).

Initially it meant 'descendants/followers of Asclepius' (people devoted to healing); over time the term was also applied in taxonomy to name a group of plants (the milkweed family), and modern usage can refer to either sense, though the botanical group is often now placed within Apocynaceae.