'acid/base-responsive' is a modern English compound formed from 'acid', 'base', and 'responsive'; 'acid' originates from Latin 'acidus' meaning 'sour', 'base' derives ultimately from Greek/Latin 'basis' meaning 'foundation' or 'base', and 'responsive' comes from Latin 'respondere' via Old French/Latin roots meaning 'to answer' or 'to respond'.

'acid' came into English from Latin 'acidus' (via Old French) and meant 'sour'; 'base' entered English from Old French/Latin 'base' (from Greek 'basis') meaning 'foundation' and later gained the chemical sense 'alkaline'; 'response'/'responsive' developed from Latin 'respondere' → Old French 'respondre' → Middle English words for 'answer' and later adjectival formation 'responsive' in Modern English. The compound 'acid/base-responsive' is a recent technical coinage combining these elements to describe pH-dependent responsiveness.

Originally, 'acid' primarily meant 'sour' and 'base' meant a 'foundation'; over time both acquired specific chemical senses ('acid' and 'base' in chemistry). 'Responsive' originally meant 'answering' and evolved to mean 'reacting to a stimulus'; combined as 'acid/base-responsive' it now specifically denotes reacting to acidity or basicity (pH).