The Latin roots ad - + renes and the Greek roots epi - + nephros both mean into\/onto the kidney , which is a reference to the adrenal glands . The term adrenaline is derived from the Latin roots ad - and renes and literally means `` on the kidney '' , in reference to the adrenal gland 's anatomic location on the kidney . The Greek roots epi and nephros have similar meanings , and give rise to `` epinephrine '' .