'perihelion' originates from Modern Latin, specifically the word 'perihelion', where the Greek prefix 'peri-' meant 'around' and Greek 'hēlios' (ὥλιος / ἥλιος) meant 'sun'.

'perihelion' changed from the Ancient Greek compound 'peri-hēlion' (περί- + ἥλιον) into Medieval/Modern Latin 'perihelion', and was adopted into English with little change in form.

Initially, it referred specifically to being 'around the sun' (the sun-near point in an orbit); over time it narrowed to the technical astronomical sense 'the nearest point to the Sun in an orbit'.