'atrichosis' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'atrichōsis', where the prefix 'a-' meant 'without' and the root 'trich-' (from Greek 'thrix, trichos') meant 'hair', and the suffix '-osis' indicated a condition.

'atrichosis' changed from the Greek medical term 'atrichōsis' into Medieval/Neo-Latin medical usage as 'atrichosis' and was adopted into modern English medical vocabulary as 'atrichosis'.

Initially it meant 'a condition of being without hair', and over time this meaning has been retained in modern medical usage to denote absence of hair (often congenital).