'ataxia' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'ἀταξία' (ataxia), where the prefix 'a-' meant 'not' and 'taxis' meant 'arrangement' or 'order'.

'ataxia' passed into Late Latin and New Latin as 'ataxia' in medical usage and was adopted into English from Modern Latin/medical usage in the 18th–19th century.

Initially, it meant 'lack of order' in a general sense, but over time it became specialized in medical contexts to mean 'lack of muscular coordination'.