'acetylenation' originates from the word 'acetylene', which is derived from the French word 'acétylène', where 'acét-' referred to 'acetic' and '-ylène' was a suffix used in chemistry to denote unsaturated hydrocarbons.

'acétylène' transformed into the English word 'acetylene', and eventually the process was termed 'acetylenation'.

Initially, it referred to the introduction of an acetylene group, and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.