'orthophoria' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'orthos' and 'phoria' (from 'pherein'), where 'orthos' meant 'straight' or 'correct' and 'pherein' meant 'to carry' (with 'phoria' used to denote a condition or bearing).

'orthophoria' was formed in New Latin/medical usage by combining the prefix 'ortho-' (from Greek 'orthos') with the noun-forming element '-phoria' and entered English via medical literature in the late 19th to early 20th century.

Initially formed from elements meaning 'straight bearing' or 'correct bearing', it has come to be a specialized medical term meaning 'normal alignment of the eyes' in ophthalmology and optometry.