Apollonius of Perga
The word asymptote is derived from the Greek ἀσύμπτωτος ("asumptōtos") which means "not falling together", from ἀ priv. + σύν "together" + πτωτ-ός "fallen". The term was introduced by Apollonius of Perga in his work on conic sections, but in contrast to its modern meaning, he used it to mean any line that does not intersect the given curve.