'pseudo-fertilization' originates from Greek and Latin, specifically the Greek prefix 'pseudo-' from the word 'pseudḗs', where 'pseud-' meant 'false', and the Latin root 'fertilis' (and the verb formative element leading to 'fertilization'), where 'fertilis' meant 'fruitful' or 'able to bear offspring'.

'pseudo-fertilization' was formed in modern scientific English by combining the Greek-derived prefix 'pseudo-' with the long-established English term 'fertilization' (itself from Latin roots). The compound reflects a 19th–20th century pattern of forming descriptive scientific terms by prefixing 'pseudo-' to existing biological nouns.

Initially, the elements meant 'false' and 'making fruitful', so the compound originally conveyed the idea of a 'false' or 'apparent' fertilization; over time it has been used specifically to describe biological cases where fertilization-like activation occurs without genetic fusion.