'nephritogenic' originates from New Latin/Greek elements: the combining form 'nephrito-' (from Greek 'nephros' meaning 'kidney') and the suffix '-genic' (from Greek 'genic'/'genein' meaning 'to produce' or 'to cause').

'nephritogenic' was formed in English by combining 'nephrito-' (from the noun 'nephritis', itself from Greek 'nephros' via New Latin) with the suffix '-genic'; it entered medical usage in the 20th century to describe agents that produce nephritis.

Initially it carried the straightforward sense 'producing nephritis'; over time the term has remained specialized but retained that original meaning in medical contexts.