'dogbane' originates from Middle English as a compound of 'dog' and 'bane', where 'dog' meant 'dog' and 'bane' meant 'poison' or 'cause of death'.

'dogbane' appeared in Middle English in forms such as 'dog-bana' or 'dogbana' and later regularized into the modern English compound 'dogbane'. The element 'bane' itself goes back to Old English 'bana' (slayer, killer).

Initially, the term literally meant 'something that kills or harms dogs'; over time it became used specifically as the common name for certain plants toxic to dogs and other animals.