'auricularia' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'auricula', where 'auris' meant 'ear' and the diminutive suffix '-cula' meant 'little (ear)'.

'auricularia' developed from Latin 'auricularis' (pertaining to the ear) and Medieval Latin formations; the term was later adopted in modern biological nomenclature as the genus name 'Auricularia'.

Initially, it meant 'pertaining to the ear' (or 'little ear'); over time it came to be used as a name for ear-shaped fungi and now primarily denotes that genus of fungi.