'aquifer' originates from Latin (via New Latin), specifically the elements 'aqua' meaning 'water' and 'ferre' meaning 'to bear' (forming 'aquifer' = 'water-bearing').

'aquifer' entered scientific/technical English from New Latin 'aquifer' (used in geology and hydrology) and has been used in modern English with little change in form.

Initially it referred to something 'water-bearing' in a literal sense; over time it became the technical term for an underground layer that holds and yields groundwater, a meaning that has remained stable.