'assyriology' originates from modern English formation combining 'Assyria' and the Greek-derived suffix '-logy' (from Greek 'logia' meaning 'study' or 'account').

'assyriology' was formed in English by adding the combining form '-logy' to 'Assyria' (itself from ancient names for the region/god Aššur). The element 'Assyria' comes into European languages via Greek and Latin from Akkadian 'Aššur'.

Initially the root referred to the place or deity 'Aššur'; over time the compound 'assyriology' came to mean specifically the scholarly study of Assyria and its cultural/linguistic heritage.