'microspore' originates from Greek elements 'mikros' meaning 'small' and 'spora' meaning 'seed' or 'sowing', combined in modern scientific English.

'microspore' was formed in modern scientific usage by combining the prefix 'micro-' with the noun 'spore' (from Greek 'spora'), becoming established in English botanical terminology in the 19th century.

Initially it meant 'a small spore'; over time the term has kept that sense but has become specialized to mean the spore that develops into the male gametophyte in heterosporous plants.