'astigmatoscope' originates from New Latin/modern medical coinage, ultimately built from Greek elements: 'a-' meaning 'not' and 'stigma' meaning 'mark, point', combined with Greek 'skopein' meaning 'to look' (used in English as the combining form '-scope').

'astigmatoscope' was formed in English from the combining form 'astigmat(o)-' (from Greek via New Latin, related to 'astigmatism') plus the suffix '-scope' (from Greek 'skopein' via Latin/French), producing a term meaning 'an instrument for looking at or detecting astigmatism.'

Initially coined to denote a specialized optical instrument for demonstrating or measuring astigmatism, its meaning has remained narrowly technical, referring specifically to such a device.