'amine' originates from New Latin/French (chemical usage), ultimately formed from 'ammonia' with the chemical suffix '-ine' (used to name nitrogen-containing compounds). The compound adjective 'amine-free' is formed by combining 'amine' with 'free' to mean 'without amines'.

'amine' was coined in 19th-century chemical literature as a name for derivatives of ammonia; the adjective form 'amine-free' developed later as a descriptive compound (amine + free) used in product labels and technical descriptions.

Initially, 'amine' referred specifically to derivatives of ammonia; over time it broadened to mean organic compounds that contain an amino group (-NH2 or related), and 'amine-free' came to mean 'lacking such amino compounds' in modern usage.