'arsenofuran' originates from modern chemical coinage (New Latin/International scientific vocabulary), combining the prefix 'arseno-' (from Latin 'arsenicum', via Greek 'arsenikon', referring to arsenic) and 'furan' (the name of the heterocyclic ring derived from 'furfural').

'furan' was named in the late 19th century from 'furfural' (a compound obtained from bran; Latin 'furfur' meaning 'bran'), while 'arseno-' derives from 'arsenic' which comes from Greek 'arsenikon' and Latin 'arsenicum'; these elements were later combined in modern chemical nomenclature to form 'arsenofuran'.

Initially the parts referred separately to the element arsenic and to the heterocycle furan; over time the combined term came to denote compounds in which an arsenic-containing group is directly associated with a furan ring ('an arsenic + furan compound').