'predorsal' originates from Latin-derived elements, specifically the prefix 'pre-' from Latin 'prae' and 'dorsal' from Latin 'dorsalis', where 'prae' meant 'before' and 'dorsalis' meant 'of the back'.

'predorsal' was formed in modern scientific English by combining the Latin-derived prefix 'pre-' with the adjective 'dorsal' (from Latin 'dorsalis'); it entered zoological/anatomical usage in modern (19th–20th century) scientific contexts rather than via a distinct Middle English form.

Initially it literally meant 'before the back' (from its Latin components), and over time it has retained that specific anatomical/zoological sense of 'situated anterior to the dorsal region'.