'paleontological' originates from French and Greek, specifically from the French 'paléontologie' and Greek roots 'palaios' meaning 'ancient', 'on' meaning 'being', and 'logia' meaning 'study of'.

'paleontological' was formed in the 19th century from 'paleontology' plus the suffix '-ical', and eventually became the modern English word 'paleontological'.

Initially, it meant 'relating to the study of ancient life forms through fossils', and this meaning has remained consistent in modern usage.