'oligotrophic' originates from Greek, specifically the words 'oligos' and 'trophē', where 'oligos' meant 'few, little' and 'trophē' meant 'nourishment'.

'oligotrophic' was formed in scientific New Latin/Neo-Greek usage (cf. New Latin 'oligotrophicus') combining 'oligo-' + '-trophic', and was adopted into modern English as a technical ecological term.

Initially, the roots referred generally to 'having little nourishment'; over time the term developed the specialized modern meaning of 'low in nutrients (especially referring to bodies of water)'.