'dorsoposteriorly' originates from Latin-derived elements and English morphology: the prefix 'dorso-' (from Latin 'dorsum' meaning 'back') + 'posterior' (from Latin 'posterior', comparative of 'posterus' meaning 'coming after' or 'rear'), with the English adverbial suffix '-ly' added to form the adverb.

'dorsoposteriorly' was formed in English by combining Latin roots borrowed into Late/Medieval Latin ('dorsum' -> 'dorso-' and 'posterior') and attaching the English suffix '-ly'; the compound construction follows a pattern used in anatomical terminology (e.g., 'dorsoventral', 'anteroposterior').

Initially the component words meant 'back' ('dorsum') and 'rear/coming after' ('posterior'); over time the compound came to be used specifically in technical anatomical and zoological contexts to indicate directionality toward the back-and-rear surface.