'ascogonidium' originates from New Latin/Modern Latin, formed from the combining form 'asco-' (from Greek 'askos') meaning 'sac' or 'bag' (referring to the ascus, the saclike spore-bearing structure) and 'gonidium' (from Greek 'gonos') meaning 'seed' or 'offspring', denoting a reproductive body.

'ascogonidium' developed as a compound in mycological New Latin by joining the productive prefix 'asco-' (relating to the ascus) with 'gonidium' (a diminutive of 'gonos' used for small reproductive bodies), and was adopted into English scientific vocabulary with essentially the same form.

Initially formed to denote a small reproductive unit associated with the ascus or ascogonium, the term has been used in modern mycology to refer specifically to the small cell or conidium that develops into or bears the ascogonium.