'glycogenic' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'glykys' (often seen as 'glyco-') and the verb-root 'genein' (seen in '-gen'/'-genic'), where 'glykys' meant 'sweet' and 'genein' meant 'to produce or generate'.

'glycogenic' developed in modern scientific English as an adjective formed from the noun 'glycogen' (from French 'glycogène', 19th century), which itself was coined from Greek roots 'glykys' + 'gen-' ('to produce'), and then combined with the adjectival suffix '-ic' to form 'glycogenic'.

Initially the Greek root 'glykys' referred to 'sweet', but in scientific use the compound now specifically refers to processes or substances that produce or relate to glycogen (the stored form of glucose).