'florilegium' originates from Medieval Latin, specifically the word 'florilegium', where Latin 'flos, floris' meant 'flower' and Latin 'legere' (from which 'leg-' appears) meant 'to gather' or 'to choose'.

'florilegium' changed from Medieval Latin usage (literally a 'gathering of flowers') and was adopted into English in roughly the Middle Ages/early modern period with the figurative sense of a gathered selection of writings; the form remained close to its Latin original.

Initially it meant 'a gathering of flowers' (literal), but over time it evolved into the current primary meaning 'a collection of chosen literary extracts; an anthology' and later acquired a secondary meaning referring to collections of botanical illustrations.