'aurantium' originates from Latin, specifically from 'āurantium' or the adjective 'aurantius', where 'aurum' meant 'gold' and the root came to denote 'orange-colored' or 'golden'.

'aurantium' entered scientific and botanical Latin as a descriptor and was used as a specific epithet (e.g. 'Citrus aurantium'). It is related to the development of the word 'orange' in the Romance languages (Old French 'orenge') and ultimately connects to earlier sources such as Arabic and Sanskrit via the fruit's trade history.

Initially connected to notions of 'gold' or 'golden' (from 'aurum'), the term's meaning shifted toward the color and the fruit we call orange; in botanical usage it specifically denotes orange coloration or relation to the orange fruit.