'crossbow' originates from Middle English, specifically the word 'crossebow(e)', where 'crosse' meant 'cross' (from Old French 'crois', ultimately from Latin 'crux') and 'bow' comes from Old English 'boga' meaning 'bow'.

'crossbow' changed from Middle English 'crossebow(e)' and eventually became the modern English word 'crossbow'. Related terms in other languages include Old French and Medieval Latin forms, but the compound in English developed directly in Middle English.

Initially it referred to a bow associated with or shaped like a crosspiece; over time it came to mean the specific horizontal bow mounted on a stock that fires bolts—the modern weapon sense.