'wheelchair' originates from English, specifically the compound of the words 'wheel' and 'chair', where 'wheel' comes from Old English 'hweol' meaning 'a circular object that turns' and 'chair' comes from Old French 'chaiere' (from Latin 'cathedra') meaning 'seat'.

'wheelchair' developed as a compound from earlier expressions such as 'wheeled chair' or phrases describing an 'invalid's chair' and eventually became the single-word modern English 'wheelchair'.

Initially it meant 'a chair mounted on wheels' and over time the basic meaning has remained largely the same, referring to a device used for sitting and mobility.