'proctoscopy' originates from Greek, specifically the words 'proktos' and 'skopein', where 'proktos' meant 'anus, rectum' and 'skopein' meant 'to look'.

'proctoscopy' developed via New Latin/medical Latin forms such as 'proctoscopia' (19th century) from Greek roots and entered modern English as 'proctoscopy' in medical usage.

Initially, it meant 'visual examination of the anus/rectum'; over time the meaning has remained essentially the same, referring to the specific endoscopic inspection procedure.