'balsaminaceous' originates from New Latin, specifically the family name 'Balsaminaceae' (from the genus name 'Balsamina' ultimately related to 'balsam'), combined with the English adjectival suffix '-aceous' (from Latin '-aceus') meaning 'of or pertaining to'.

'balsaminaceous' developed from the New Latin family name 'Balsaminaceae', which was formed from the genus name 'Balsamina' (itself ultimately from Latin/Greek words for 'balsam', from a Semitic source). The English adjective was later formed by adding the suffix '-aceous' to indicate relation or likeness.

Initially related to the word 'balsam' (the resinous substance or the plants that produce it); over time the term was used in botanical Latin for a plant family and then extended in English to an adjective meaning 'relating to or resembling members of the Balsaminaceae'.