'ballistocardiography' originates from Greek combining forms: 'ballisto-' from Greek 'ballein' (to throw) via the sense 'ballistos' (relating to throwing or recoil), 'cardio-' from Greek 'kardia' meaning 'heart', and '-graphy' from Greek 'graphia' meaning 'writing' or 'recording'.

'ballistocardiography' was created in the 20th century as a compound term formed from the existing technical elements 'ballisto-' + 'cardio-' + '-graphy'; it developed alongside the diagnostic technique and the related noun 'ballistocardiogram' (the recorded trace).

Initially constructed to convey the idea of 'recording the recoil/throwing effect caused by the heart,' the term has come to denote the specific diagnostic technique of recording body motion produced by cardiac ejection.