'geotropism' originates from Greek elements: 'gê' meaning 'earth' and 'tropismos' meaning 'turning' or 'a turning', combined in modern scientific coinage (via Neo-Latin) to form the term 'geotropism'.

'geotropism' was coined in modern scientific/Neo-Latin usage in the late 19th century and appeared in botanical literature (often in German as 'Geotropismus'); it was then adopted into English botanical terminology as 'geotropism'.

Initially it described a turning or growth response toward the earth; this core meaning has largely remained the same, though the term 'gravitropism' later became more common in some scientific contexts to emphasize gravity as the stimulus.