'hypophorical' originates from the Latinized form 'hypophora', ultimately borrowed from Ancient Greek 'ὑποφορά' (hupophora), where the prefix 'hypo-' meant 'under' and the root from 'pherein' meant 'to carry or bear'.

'hypophora' entered Medieval/Academic Latin and later English as 'hypophora'; the modern English adjective 'hypophorical' was created by adding the adjectival suffix '-al' to that noun.

Initially it named the rhetorical device of asking a question and then answering it; over time the derived adjective has retained that sense, meaning 'relating to or using hypophora'.