'katabatic' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'katabatikos', where 'kata-' meant 'down' and 'bainein' (or the noun 'basis') related to 'going' or 'a stepping'.

'katabatikos' passed into New Latin/modern scientific usage as 'katabaticus' and was adopted into English in the 19th century as 'katabatic', especially in meteorological contexts.

Initially, it meant 'pertaining to descent', but over time it became specialized to mean 'relating to downslope winds' and, more generally, 'moving downward'.