'masculinism' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'masculinus' (from 'masculus') combined with the English suffix '-ism' which ultimately comes from Greek '-ismos', where 'masculus' meant 'male' and '-ismos' indicated a practice or system.

'masculinism' developed in English by combining the adjective 'masculine' (from Latin 'masculinus' via Old French) with the suffix '-ism'; the formation as a term referring to an ideology or movement became more common in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Initially related to qualities of being masculine ('characteristics of males'), over time it came to be used for organized ideas or movements defending men's interests and, in some uses, for doctrines asserting male superiority.