'troglobiont' originates from modern scientific coinage (New Latin/Neo-Greek), combining Greek 'troglē' meaning 'cave' and Greek 'bios' meaning 'life', with the suffix '-ont' (from Greek 'on, ont-') meaning 'being' or 'organism'.

'troglobiont' was formed in modern scientific usage from Greek elements and analogies to terms like 'troglobite'; it entered biological literature in the late 19th to 20th century as a technical term for cave-adapted organisms.

Initially and still, it has meant 'a cave-dwelling organism adapted to permanent cave life'; the meaning has remained largely stable as a technical biological term.