'nymphomaniac' originates from New Latin/Modern English formation based on 'nymphomania' (Modern Latin/New Latin), ultimately from Greek 'νύμφη' ('nymphē') meaning 'young woman, bride' and 'μανία' ('mánía') meaning 'madness, frenzy'.

'nymphomaniac' developed from the 19th-century medical/colloquial term 'nymphomania' (New Latin), which itself was coined from Greek roots; the English noun 'nymphomaniac' was formed to denote a person affected by nymphomania.

Initially it referred specifically to what was considered a pathological, excessive sexual desire in women; over time the term became a general (and often pejorative) label for excessive sexual desire in any gender and is now largely considered outdated in clinical contexts, replaced by 'hypersexuality'.