'aluminum-iron' originates from Modern English, formed as a compound of 'aluminum' (from New Latin 'alumen', where 'alumen' meant 'alum' or 'bitter salt') and 'iron' (from Old English 'īsarn', where 'īsarn' meant 'iron').

'aluminum' evolved from Latin 'alumen' → New Latin 'aluminium'/'aluminium' and was standardized as 'aluminum' in American English; 'iron' evolved from Old English 'īsarn' (via Proto-Germanic) → Middle English 'yren' → modern English 'iron'. The compound arose by straightforward combination of the two element names in modern technical usage.

Initially the component words referred to the individual elements ('alumen' to alum-related substances; 'īsarn' to the metal iron). Over time, combining them produced a compound denoting materials (alloys or composites) containing both elements rather than the separate elements alone.