'axonopus' originates from New Latin, ultimately from Greek 'axōn' and 'pous', where 'axōn' meant 'axis' and 'pous' meant 'foot'.

'Axonopus' was coined as a New Latin genus name in botanical nomenclature (19th century), formed directly from the Greek roots 'axōn' + 'pous'.

Initially, it literally meant 'axis-foot' (a descriptive compound of Greek roots), but over time it has come to be used specifically as the scientific name for a genus of grasses.