'alfenide' originates from French, specifically the word 'alfénide', where 'al-' was a prefix used in alloy names and '-fenide' was derived from the name of the inventor, Charles Halphen.

'alfénide' was coined in the 19th century in France and eventually became the modern English word 'alfenide'.

Initially, it referred to a specific alloy used in cutlery, and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.