'euploidy' originates from Greek prefix 'eu-' meaning 'good' or 'well' combined with Modern Latin/Neo-Latin '-ploidy' (from Greek elements related to 'fold' or 'times' used to indicate multiplicity of sets).

'euploidy' was formed in scientific Neo-Latin as 'euploidia' (20th century usage) from the combination of Greek 'eu-' and the element used in terms like 'diploid' and 'haploid'; these in turn derive from Greek numeric or descriptive roots (e.g. 'diploos' = 'double').

Initially coined to describe the presence of whole-number multiples of the haploid chromosome set, the meaning has remained focused on chromosomal multiplicity but has broadened in use across cytogenetics and evolutionary biology.