The paper considers the cognitive and discursive aspects of term formation and semantic changes associated with the processes of cognition, classification, and conceptualization. The main ways of forming terminological units are analyzed, morphological models of term formation, features of formation of multicomponent terminological combinations and abbreviations are described, as well as their functioning in specialized scientific discourse. The development of the terminology system is viewed as conditioned not only by structural and linguistic factors but also by the development of the system of concepts of this sublanguage.