'asymmetry' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'asymmetria', where 'a-' meant 'not' and 'symmetria' meant 'agreement in measure' or 'proportion'.

'asymmetry' changed from Late Latin 'asymmetria' and Middle French 'asymétrie' and eventually became the modern English word 'asymmetry'.

Initially, it meant 'the state of not being symmetrical' and over time the core meaning has largely remained the same, though it has been extended metaphorically (e.g., economic asymmetries).