'aspidobranchiata' originates from New Latin, specifically the formation 'Aspidobranchiata', where the prefix 'aspido-' comes from Greek 'aspis' meaning 'shield' and 'branchia' from Greek 'brankhia' meaning 'gills'.

'aspidobranchiata' was coined by Latinizing Greek elements ('aspis' + 'branchia') to form a technical name in zoological nomenclature; it corresponds to older classifications (e.g., 19th century) and relates to forms such as 'Aspidobranchia' used in later/alternate treatments.

Initially it literally meant 'those with shield‑like gills'; over time the term came to denote a particular (now largely deprecated) taxonomic grouping in malacology.