'heterostylic' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'hetero-' (from Greek 'heteros') and 'styl-' (from Greek 'stylos'), where 'hetero-' meant 'other, different' and 'stylos' meant 'pillar' or 'style'.

'heterostylic' was formed in scientific/technical English from the noun 'heterostyly' (New Latin/modern botanical usage), which itself was coined from Greek roots; the adjectival form 'heterostylic' arose to describe plants exhibiting that condition (term established in 19th-century botanical literature).

Initially the elements described the condition of 'different styles' (as a noun concept, heterostyly); over time the term also came to be used adjectivally to describe species or flowers that exhibit that condition ('heterostylic').