'astragalonavicular' originates from New Latin/medical formation combining 'astragalus' and 'navicular'; 'astragalus' comes from Greek 'astragalos' meaning 'ankle bone' (also 'knuckle' or 'dice bone'), and 'navicular' comes from Latin 'navicula' meaning 'little ship' (from 'navis' 'ship').

'astragalus' entered Latin from Greek 'astragalos', and 'navicular' derives from Latin 'navicula'; these roots were combined in modern medical/New Latin usage to form the compound adjective 'astragalonavicular' describing the relation between the two bones or their joint.

Initially the roots referred to the individual bones ('astragalus' = ankle bone; 'navicula' = small ship-shaped bone); over time the compound came to be used in anatomical terminology to denote the relationship or joint between those bones (the astragalonavicular joint).