'nucleon' originates from Modern English, specifically formed from the word 'nucleus' (from Latin 'nucleus'), where Latin 'nucleus' meant 'kernel', combined with the particle-forming suffix '-on' (via New Latin/Greek) used for small particles or entities.

'nucleon' was formed in the early 20th century by combining 'nucleus' + the suffix '-on'; the term was coined in the 1930s as physics identified protons and neutrons as the constituents of the atomic nucleus and needed a collective name.

Initially, the root 'nucleus' meant 'kernel' or 'core'; over time the formed word 'nucleon' evolved to mean specifically a 'particle (proton or neutron) in an atomic nucleus'.