'neurohypophysis' originates from New Latin/Modern Latin via Greek, specifically from the elements 'neuro-' (from Greek 'neûron') where 'neûron' meant 'nerve', and 'hypophysis' (from Greek 'hypophysis') where 'hypo-' meant 'under' and 'physis' meant 'growth'.

'neurohypophysis' developed as a compound of Greek elements (neuro- + hypophysis), passed into New/Modern Latin medical terminology as 'neuro-hypophysis' and was adopted into English medical usage as 'neurohypophysis'.

Initially, the root 'hypophysis' conveyed the sense of an 'undergrowth' or 'growth below'; over time the compound came to denote specifically the posterior (neural) lobe of the pituitary gland.