'astrolithology' originates from modern English coinage formed from Greek roots: 'astron' (Greek) meaning 'star', 'lithos' (Greek) meaning 'stone', and '-logy' from Greek 'logos' meaning 'study' or 'discourse'.

'astrolithology' is a modern compound formed in English (via Neo‑Latin/modern formation patterns) by combining Greek elements; it did not pass through an established medieval English form and is a relatively recent technical or coined term.

Initially, as a coined term it would have literally meant 'the study of star-stones'; in contemporary specialized or fictional use it has come to mean either the scientific study of extraterrestrial rocks (meteorites, planetary materials) or, in fictional/occult contexts, the study of stones with celestial/astrological significance.