'paresthesia' originates from Greek via New Latin; it is built from the prefix 'para-' (Greek 'para-', meaning 'beside' or 'abnormal') and the Greek word 'aisthēsis' (αἴσθησις) meaning 'sensation'.

'paresthesia' entered medical usage in Modern/ New Latin as 'paraesthesia' and then into English as the medical term 'paresthesia' (with variant spelling 'paraesthesia').

Initially it denoted an abnormal or altered sensation ('beside/abnormal sensation'), and this core meaning has been retained in modern medical usage to describe tingling, numbness, and related sensory disturbances.