'athumia' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the word 'ἀθυμία' (athumia), where the prefix 'a-' meant 'without' and 'thumos' meant 'spirit' or 'courage'.

'athumia' came from Ancient Greek 'ἀθυμία' and has been used in learned or medical English from borrowings through Latin or scholarly usage, retaining the form 'athumia' in English texts.

Initially it meant 'absence of spirit or courage' in Ancient Greek; over time it has kept that core sense and in modern usage may also be applied in psychiatric or clinical contexts to denote lack of affect or motivation.