'vasculogenesis' originates from New Latin/modern scientific coinage, combining the Latin root 'vascul-' (from 'vasculum', a diminutive of 'vas' meaning 'vessel') and the Greek suffix '‑genesis' meaning 'origin' or 'creation'.

'vasculogenesis' was formed in 20th-century scientific English by joining the combining form 'vascul-' (from Latin) with Greek '‑genesis'; it did not pass through a distinct medieval English stage but was coined directly from classical roots for modern biological terminology.

Initially coined to denote the creation or origin of vessels, the term has come to be used specifically for the biological process of forming blood vessels from endothelial precursors (de novo formation) in developmental and pathological contexts.