'arsine' originates from chemical naming formed from 'arsenic' + the suffix '-ine' in Modern/New Latin and English chemical nomenclature; 'arsenic' itself comes from Latin/Medieval Latin 'arsenicum' ultimately from Greek 'arsenikon'.

'arsine' was coined in the 19th century by analogy to other hydrides (e.g., 'phosphine'), combining the element name 'arsenic' with the chemical suffix '-ine' to denote the hydride (AsH3); over time the term has been applied both to inorganic arsine and to related organic arsenic compounds.

Initially coined to name the specific hydride AsH3, the term has broadened in some contexts to include related organoarsine compounds; its core sense as an arsenic hydride (a toxic arsenic-containing compound) remains.