'basidiospore' originates from New Latin and Ancient Greek, specifically the New Latin element 'basidium' (from Greek 'basidion', diminutive of 'basis') where 'basid-' meant 'base', and the Greek word 'spora' where 'spora' meant 'seed' or 'sowing'.

'basidiospore' was coined in scientific New Latin in the 19th century by combining 'basidium' and 'spore' and entered modern English as a technical mycological term with little change.

Initially the components referred to 'a small base' and 'a seed', but the compound evolved to mean specifically 'a spore produced on a basidium' in mycology.