Sherrington struggled to find a good term that emphasized a union between two separate elements, and the actual term "synapse" was suggested by the English classical scholar Arthur Woollgar Verrall, a friend of Foster. The word was derived from the Greek synapsis (), meaning "conjunction", which in turn derives from synaptein (), from syn () "together" and haptein () "to fasten".
Sherrington struggled to find a fitting phrase that conveyed the connection between two distinct parts, but it wasn't until his friend and classical scholar Arthur Woollgar Verrall suggested the term "synapse" that he found an acceptable word. The term was derived from Greek words meaning conjunction, together, and fastening.