'bronchoconstrictor' originates from Modern English, formed by combining the combining form 'broncho-' (from Greek 'bronchos' meaning 'windpipe' or 'bronchus') and Latin-derived 'constrictor' (from Latin 'constringere' meaning 'to draw together' or 'to bind tight').

'broncho-' comes from Greek 'bronchos' and was adopted into New Latin/medical terminology; 'constrictor' comes from Latin 'constringere' → Latin agent noun 'constrictor'. These elements were joined in Modern English medical coinage to form 'bronchoconstrictor'.

Initially coined to denote an agent that 'draws together' or narrows the bronchi, the term has retained this specific medical meaning and is now used clinically to refer to substances or reflexes that reduce airway diameter.