'astrocytoma' originates from New Latin/modern medical formation, specifically combining Greek elements: 'astron' (meaning 'star'), Greek 'kytos' (meaning 'cell'), and the Greek suffix 'oma' (meaning 'tumor').

'astrocytoma' was formed in medical Latin/English by combining the Greek-derived combining forms 'astro-' + 'cyt-' + the suffix '-oma' in the late 19th to early 20th century to name tumors of astrocytes.

Initially it meant 'a tumor of star-shaped (astrocyte) cells,' and this core meaning has largely been retained in modern medical usage.