'astrobiologist' originates from Modern English, specifically the elements 'astro-' and 'biologist', where 'astro-' comes from Greek 'astron' meaning 'star' and 'biologist' derives from Greek 'bios' meaning 'life' + 'logia' meaning 'study'.

'astrobiologist' developed in the mid-20th century by combining the prefix 'astro-' (relating to stars/space) with 'biologist' (a scientist who studies living organisms), forming the modern English term 'astrobiologist'.

Initially, the combined term meant 'a biologist concerned with space-related questions about life'; over time it has come to specifically denote scientists who investigate life in the universe, including Earth-origin questions and searches for extraterrestrial life.