'alkylate' originates from the combination of 'alkyl' and the suffix '-ate', where 'alkyl' refers to a type of hydrocarbon group.

'alkylate' was formed by combining 'alkyl' with the suffix '-ate' to describe the process of introducing an alkyl group into a compound.

Initially, it meant 'to introduce an alkyl group into a compound', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.