'streptococcicidal' originates from New Latin/modern scientific coinage combining 'streptococcus' and the English suffix '-cidal'. 'Streptococcus' itself comes from Greek 'streptos' meaning 'twisted' and 'kokkos' meaning 'berry/seed', while the element '-cidal' derives from Latin 'caedere' meaning 'to kill' (via the adjective-forming suffix '-cidus').

'streptococcicidal' was formed in scientific/medical English by attaching the killing-suffix '-cidal' to the bacteriological noun 'streptococcus' (a formation typical of 19th–20th century medical terminology), producing a descriptive adjective meaning 'able to kill streptococci'.

Initially coined to denote an agent that kills streptococci, the term's meaning has remained essentially the same and continues to be used in microbiology and pharmacology to describe streptococcus-killing activity.