'atheroma' originates from Modern Latin, specifically the Medieval/Medical Latin word 'atheroma', where the Greek root 'athḗra' (ἀθήρα) meant 'gruel' or 'porridge' (used figuratively for a fatty deposit).

'atheroma' comes from Greek 'athērōma' (ἀθήρωμα) meaning a fatty or gruel-like mass; it passed into Latin as 'atheroma' and was adopted into English medical usage in the 19th century.

Initially it referred to a 'gruel-like' or paste-like substance (from the image of porridge) associated with fatty deposits; over time it came to denote specifically a fatty deposit or plaque in an arterial wall.