'chiral' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'kheir', where 'kheir' meant 'hand'.

'kheir' transformed into the scientific term 'chirality' in the 19th century, and eventually became the modern English word 'chiral'.

Initially, it referred to 'hand' or 'handedness', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'having a property of non-superimposability on its mirror image, especially in chemistry'.