'agateware' originates from the English word 'agate,' which refers to a type of stone known for its variegated colors, combined with 'ware,' meaning manufactured articles of a specified type.

'agate' was derived from the Latin word 'achates,' which referred to the stone, and 'ware' comes from Old English 'waru,' meaning goods or articles.

Initially, it referred to pottery resembling agate stone, and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.