'periovarian' originates from the Greek prefix 'peri-' and the Latin noun 'ovarium'; 'peri-' meant 'around' and 'ovarium' meant 'ovary'.

'ovary' developed from Latin 'ovarium' into Old French forms and then into Middle English 'ovarie', eventually becoming the modern English 'ovary'; the combining form 'peri-' (Greek) has been used in medical English to form compounds such as 'periovarian' in modern medical usage.

Initially the elements meant 'around' and 'ovary' separately; over time they combined in medical terminology to mean 'around the ovary' as a single descriptive adjective.