'astogeny' is a modern scientific formation combining the element '-geny' (from Greek 'génesis' γένεσις, 'origin, birth') with the prefix element 'asto-' used in zoological terminology; it was established in scientific usage (New Latin/Modern English) to name patterns of developmental origin.

'astogeny' appears in late 19th–early 20th century zoological literature as a technical term; it was coined in the tradition of New Latin scientific vocabulary by joining the Greek-derived suffix meaning 'origin' to a stem denoting the particular developmental context, and it entered modern English scientific usage without major phonetic change.

Initially used in specialized zoological contexts to denote the development of colonial organisms or modules, its meaning has remained technical and narrowly biological; in some older or broader uses it was employed more generally for 'development' (similar to ontogeny).