'dashpot' originates from English, a compound of 'dash' (sudden movement or strike) and 'pot' (a vessel or container), coined in the early 19th century to describe a device that absorbs or moderates sudden motion.

'dashpot' originally appeared as the two-word phrase 'dash pot' in technical writing of the 1800s, later seen as 'dash-pot', and eventually fused into the single word 'dashpot' in modern technical usage.

Initially formed to describe a 'container' that received or moderated a 'dash' of fluid or motion, the term's meaning settled on the specific mechanical device used to dampen motion (a damper).