'pterygotes' originates from New Latin, specifically the term 'Pterygota', where Greek 'pteryx' (πτέρυξ) / 'pteryg-' meant 'wing'.

'pterygotes' developed from Greek 'pteryx' → New Latin 'Pterygota' (used in systematic biology) → modern English 'pterygote(s)', adopted into scientific usage in the 19th century.

Initially it referred generally to 'winged ones' in the sense of organisms with wings; over time it became the technical term for the group of insects (Pterygota) that possess wings or derived from winged ancestors.