'troparion' originates from Medieval Greek, specifically the word 'τροπάριον' (troparion), where the root 'τρόπος' ('tropos') meant 'turn, manner' and the diminutive suffix '-αριον' ('-arion') indicated a small thing.

'troparion' passed from Medieval Greek 'τροπάριον' into Byzantine and ecclesiastical Latin usage and was borrowed into English from these liturgical contexts as 'troparion'.

Initially it referred to a 'short stanza' or 'little turn' in a hymn, and over time it came to mean specifically a short liturgical hymn used in Eastern Christian services.