'arabinic' originates from the chemical name 'arabinose' combined with the adjectival suffix '-ic'; 'arabinose' was named after 'gum arabic' (via Medieval Latin/French), where the element 'arab-' referred to 'Arab(ian) / gum arabic source'.

'arabinose' was named in the 19th century after 'gum arabic' (from Arabic via Medieval Latin/French); the adjective 'arabinic' was formed by adding the English adjectival suffix '-ic' to refer to substances related to arabinose, producing the modern term 'arabinic'.

Initially the root referred to the source material 'gum arabic', and later to the sugar 'arabinose'; over time the derived adjective came to mean 'relating to arabinose' in chemical usage.