'hookworm' originates from English, specifically the compound of 'hook' and 'worm', where 'hook' meant 'a curved or bent piece' and 'worm' meant 'a creeping creature or serpent.'

'hook' comes from Old English 'hōc' and 'worm' from Old English 'wyrm'; the two elements were combined in modern English to name parasitic worms with hook-like mouthparts.

Initially, the compound described a 'worm with a hook' (a literal descriptive term); over time it became the standard term for certain bloodsucking intestinal nematodes.