'saprotroph' originates from New Latin/Neo-Latin, formed from Greek 'sapros' (meaning 'rotten') and Greek 'trophē' (meaning 'nourishment' or 'food').

'saprotroph' developed as a modern scientific compound from the Greek elements (via Neo-Latin formation such as 'saprotrophus') and entered English usage in biological contexts in the 19th–20th century.

Initially it referred specifically to organisms feeding on rotten matter; over time it has come to be used broadly in ecology to denote organisms (especially fungi and bacteria) that decompose dead organic material.