'herpetology' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'herpeton', where 'herpeton' meant 'a creeping animal, reptile', combined with '-logia' meaning 'study'.

'herpeton' and '-logia' yielded Neo-Latin 'herpetologia' and French 'herpétologie', and eventually became the modern English word 'herpetology'.

Initially, it referred to the study of 'creeping animals' (reptiles), but it has come to denote the zoological study of both reptiles and amphibians in modern usage.