'perigee' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'perigeion', where 'peri-' meant 'around/near' and 'gē' meant 'earth'.

'perigee' entered English via Latin and French (Old French/Medieval Latin forms) from the original Greek 'perigeion', eventually becoming the modern English 'perigee'.

Initially, it simply meant 'near the earth'; over time it came to denote the specific orbital point nearest Earth and, by extension, a figurative 'lowest point'.