The word 'wrasse' entered English in the late 17th century, borrowed from the Cornish word 'wragh', meaning "old woman" or "hag". This naming likely arose from a folk comparison between the fish's large, fleshy lips and the perceived appearance of an old woman. There is no further segmentation into classical morphemes; it is a complete borrowing where the entire Cornish word was adopted to name this distinct group of fish. The term stabilized in English scientific and common usage to categorize this family (Labridae) of colorful, bottom-feeding fish.

The word is a simplex loanword from the Cornish language, where 'wragh' or 'gwragh' meant "old woman" or "hag". Its functional role is as a complete lexical unit.