'aralkylate' originates from Modern English, specifically from the blend 'aralkyl' (formed from 'aryl' + 'alkyl') combined with the chemical/verbal suffix '-ate' (from New Latin/chemical nomenclature).

'aralkylate' was coined in chemical literature in the 20th century by joining 'aralkyl' (a descriptive blend indicating an alkyl group bearing an aryl substituent) with the productive suffix '-ate' used to form verbs meaning 'to make or treat with'.

Initially, it referred narrowly to specific laboratory procedures installing aralkyl groups; over time its use broadened to describe both the general reaction type and the resulting aralkyl-substituted compounds.