'neuroprotective' originates from modern scientific English, specifically the combining of the Greek-derived prefix 'neuro-' (from Greek 'neûron' meaning 'nerve') and the English adjective 'protective' (ultimately from Latin 'protegere'), where 'neuro-' meant 'nerve' and 'protective' meant 'tending to protect'.

'neuroprotective' was formed in 20th-century biomedical usage by combining the prefix 'neuro-' with the existing English word 'protective' (from Latin 'protegere' → Old French/Latin-derived forms → Middle English 'protecten'/'protective'), and it became established in scientific literature to describe agents or actions that protect neurons.

Initially the components meant 'nerve' (for 'neuro-') and 'tending to protect' (for 'protective'); over time the compound came to be used specifically to refer to drugs, interventions, or mechanisms that protect neurons from injury or degeneration.