'atelic' originates from Greek elements: the prefix 'a-' (meaning 'not') combined with 'telos' (τελός) meaning 'end' or 'goal'.

'atelic' was formed in Modern English (especially in 20th-century linguistic terminology) by combining the Greek-derived prefix 'a-' with the adjective-forming element from 'telos' (via 'telic'); it reflects formation from classical roots rather than a direct single-source medieval English word.

Initially coined to express the absence of a terminal point ('not end/goal'), the term has retained this technical meaning in aspectual and event-structure discussions in linguistics.