'astrospectroscopic' originates from English, specifically from the combining form 'astro-' (from Greek 'astron') meaning 'star' and from 'spectroscopic', itself from 'spectroscopy' (from New Latin/Greek roots related to 'spectrum' and 'scope').

'astrospectroscopic' was formed in modern scientific English by combining the prefix 'astro-' (used since the 17th–19th centuries in words relating to stars and astronomy) with the adjective 'spectroscopic' (from 'spectroscopy', a term established in the 19th century), producing a compound adjective used in 20th–21st century astronomical literature.

Initially the elements meant 'star' (astro-) and 'relating to observation of spectra' (spectroscopic); over time the compound came to denote specifically methods or results of spectroscopy applied to astronomical objects (i.e., astronomical spectroscopy).