'astrographic' originates from Greek, specifically the combining elements 'astron' and 'graphos', where 'astron' meant 'star' and 'graphein/graphos' meant 'to write/draw'.

'astrographic' developed as a modern scientific formation from the combining form 'astro-' (from Greek 'astron') and the adjective-forming element '-graphic' (from Greek 'graphos' via Latin and French), entering English usage in technical and astronomical contexts in the 19th century (often via terms like 'astrograph' + '-ic').

Initially, the formation literally meant 'star-drawing' or 'relating to drawing/writing about stars'; over time it became specialized to mean 'relating to instruments, photographs, or maps of the stars' (and more rarely 'relating to astrological charts').