'dorsal-posterior' originates from English, specifically a compound of the adjective 'dorsal' and the adjective 'posterior', where 'dorsal' ultimately comes from Latin 'dorsum' meaning 'back' and 'posterior' comes from Latin 'posterus' meaning 'coming after' or 'behind'.

'dorsal' developed from Latin 'dorsalis' (from 'dorsum') into English via Medieval Latin/Old French; 'posterior' comes from Latin 'posterior' (comparative of 'posterus') and entered English through Medieval Latin/Old French and Middle English. The two terms are combined in modern English as the compound 'dorsal-posterior' to specify an anatomical orientation.

Initially each element meant 'back' ('dorsum') and 'coming after/behind' ('posterus'); over time they have been combined in modern anatomical usage to denote the specific direction or surface that is both toward the back and toward the rear of a structure.