'amphibole-abundant' is a compound of 'amphibole' and 'abundant'. 'amphibole' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'amphibolos', where 'amphi-' meant 'both' or 'around' and the root related to 'ballein' meant 'to throw' (the term came to mean 'ambiguous' and was applied to this mineral group). 'abundant' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'abundans' (from 'abundare'), where 'ab-' meant 'from' and 'unda' meant 'wave' (hence 'overflowing; plentiful').

'amphibole' entered scientific usage via Neo-Latin 'amphibolus' and became the English mineral name 'amphibole' in the 18th–19th century; 'abundant' came into English from Old French 'abondant' and Latin 'abundans'. The compound 'amphibole-abundant' arose in modern geological English as a descriptive technical adjective.

Initially, 'amphibole' referred (via Greek) to something 'ambiguous' (reflecting variable composition) and 'abundant' meant 'overflowing' or 'plentiful'; together in modern usage they simply describe a rock as 'having a large amount of amphibole minerals.'