'stereoisomeric' originates from Greek elements 'stereós' and 'isomeros', where 'stereós' meant 'solid' and 'isomeros' (from 'isos' + 'mérōs') meant 'equal part'.

'stereoisomeric' developed from 19th‑century chemical coinages: the word 'isomer' (from French/German 'isomère'/'Isomer') and the prefix 'stereo-' introduced in stereochemistry (late 19th century, e.g. van 't Hoff and Le Bel). These combined into 'stereoisomer' and later the adjective 'stereoisomeric'.

Initially, 'stereo-' implied 'solid' and 'isomer' implied 'equal parts', but in chemistry the combined term came to mean isomers that have the same connectivity yet differ in three‑dimensional arrangement (spatial isomers).