'biophysiologist' originates from modern English formation combining the prefix 'bio-' from Greek 'bios' meaning 'life' and 'physiology' (from Greek 'physis' meaning 'nature' or 'growth' + '-logia' meaning 'study'), with the agentive suffix '-ist' meaning 'one who practices or is concerned with'.

'biophysiologist' was formed by adding the suffix '-ist' to 'biophysiology' (a 19th–20th century scientific term). 'Biophysiology' itself arose from 'bio-' + 'physiology', where 'physiology' came into English via Latin and French from Greek 'physis' and 'logia'. Over the 20th century the compound 'biophysiologist' became used to denote specialists applying physiological and physical approaches to biological problems.

Initially it referred simply to a practitioner of biophysiology; over time it has come to emphasize interdisciplinary use of physical methods in studying physiological processes, but the core meaning — a scientist studying biological functions — has remained stable.