'auricularis' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'auricularis', where 'auricula' was a diminutive of 'auris' meaning 'ear' (so 'auricula' meant 'little ear' or 'ear-shaped').

'auricularis' was used in Classical and Medieval Latin as an adjective meaning 'of the ear'; through Medieval/Modern anatomical Latin it entered scientific usage (e.g., musculus auricularis) and influenced English anatomical terms such as 'auricular' and the formation of 'auricularis' in anatomical names.

Initially it meant 'of or relating to the little ear/ear-shaped structure'; over time it has come to be used more generally in anatomy and medicine to mean 'relating to the ear' or 'pertaining to the auricle.'