'3-D' originates from English, specifically the combination of the Arabic numeral '3' and the letter 'D' abbreviating 'dimension' (ultimately from Latin 'dimensio'), where '3' meant 'three' and 'D' meant 'dimension'.

'3-D' developed as an abbreviation from the written phrase 'three-dimensional' and became common in the 20th century with the rise of stereoscopic cinema, visual effects, and computer graphics; the hyphenated form '3-D' and the unhyphenated '3D' are both used.

Initially the full phrase 'three-dimensional' described objects with three measurable dimensions; over time the shortened form '3-D' came to be widely used to denote three-dimensionality and stereoscopic effects.