'subapical' originates from Latin, specifically the prefix 'sub-' and the noun 'apex', where 'sub-' meant 'under' and 'apex' meant 'summit' or 'tip'.

'subapical' developed via Late/Medieval Latin as 'subapicalis' (formed from 'sub-' + 'apex' + adjectival suffix '-alis') and entered modern English in scientific usage as 'subapical'.

Initially it meant 'located under the apex,' and over time it has retained this locational meaning in botanical, zoological, and anatomical contexts.