'seed-gall' originates from English, specifically the compound of the words 'seed' and 'gall', where 'seed' meant 'a small reproductive grain' and 'gall' meant 'an abnormal swelling or excrescence on a plant'.

'seed-gall' arose in Modern English as a descriptive compound (often written earlier as 'seed gall') to denote a gall occurring on seeds; the hyphenated form stabilized in technical botanical usage.

Initially it referred specifically to any gall associated with a seed, and over time it has retained that technical botanical meaning of 'a gall on or in a seed'.