'asteroidea' originates from New Latin (scientific usage), ultimately formed from Greek elements: 'aster' (Greek ἀστήρ) meaning 'star' and the suffix '-oidea' (from Greek -oeidēs) meaning 'resembling' or 'having the form of'.

'Asteroidea' was coined in modern (New) Latin taxonomic usage in the 19th century from the Greek root 'aster-' + '-oeidēs' and adopted into English scientific vocabulary as the name of the class of star-shaped echinoderms.

Initially the parts meant 'star-like' or 'resembling a star'; over time the compound came to be used specifically as the formal taxonomic name for the class of sea stars (starfish).