'vasopressin' originates from New Latin/modern medical coinage, specifically the combining form 'vaso-' from Latin 'vas' where 'vas' meant 'vessel', and the element '-pressin' ultimately from Latin 'premere' (root 'press-') where it meant 'to press'.

'vasopressin' developed as a technical medical name in the 20th century, formed from earlier descriptive terms such as 'antidiuretic hormone' and specific peptide names like 'arginine vasopressin', and became standardized as 'vasopressin' in clinical and biochemical usage.

Initially coined to describe a substance with 'pressor' (blood-pressure–raising) effects on blood vessels, the term came to denote the specific peptide hormone that also has major antidiuretic functions.