'epigrammatic' originates from Greek (via Latin and French), specifically the word 'epigramma' (Greek ἐπίγραμμα), where the prefix 'epi-' meant 'upon' and 'graphein' meant 'to write'.

'epigrammatic' developed from Greek 'epigramma' to Latin 'epigramma', then through Old French 'épigramme' into Middle English as 'epigram', with the adjective formed in modern English as 'epigrammatic'.

Initially it referred to an 'inscription' or a short written saying; over time it came to mean a brief, clever, or witty remark, and as an adjective 'concise and witty'.