'florography' originates from Latin 'flos, floris' meaning 'flower' combined with the Greek-derived suffix '-graphy' from 'graphein' meaning 'to write' or 'to record.'

'florography' is closely related to and in part a variant of 'floriography,' a coinage that emerged in the 19th century (Victorian era) to describe the 'language of flowers'; the term spread in English usage during that period alongside publications on floral symbolism.

Initially used to describe the specific Victorian-era practice of assigning symbolic meanings to flowers and communicating via bouquets; the basic sense—relating flowers to symbolic meanings—has remained, though the practice is now less central to social communication.