'vasoparalysis' is a modern medical formation combining the prefix 'vaso-' (from Latin 'vas', meaning 'vessel') and 'paralysis' (from Greek 'parálusis', meaning 'loosening' or 'loss of strength/movement').

'vaso-' originates from Latin 'vas' ('vessel') and was adopted as a combining form in New Latin/medical terminology; 'paralysis' comes from Greek 'parálusis' via Late Latin and Middle French into Modern English; the compound 'vasoparalysis' arose in medical usage by joining these elements to denote 'paralysis of vessels'.

Initially the components literally meant 'vessel' + 'paralysis'; over time the compound came to denote the clinical condition of loss of vascular tone (widespread vasodilation and hypotension), rather than a purely literal 'paralysis' of vessels.