'amphibolite' originates from French, specifically the word 'amphibolite', where 'amphibole' referred to a group of minerals and '-ite' denoted a type of rock.

'amphibolite' changed from the French word 'amphibolite' and eventually became the modern English word 'amphibolite'.

Initially, it meant 'a rock composed mainly of amphibole minerals', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.