'hydrochory' originates from Greek, specifically the words 'hydōr' (ὕδωρ) meaning 'water' and 'chorein' (χορεῖν) meaning 'to move' or 'to spread'.

'hydrochory' was formed as a modern scientific coinage (via New Latin/academic usage) by combining the prefix 'hydro-' (from Greek 'hydōr') with the suffix '-chory' (from Greek 'chorein'), and entered English in botanical and ecological literature as 'hydrochory'.

Initially it conveyed the general idea of 'movement by water'; over time it narrowed to the specific biological sense 'dispersal of seeds or other propagules by water'.