'aryl' originates from modern chemical coinage, combining 'ar-' (from 'aromatic') and the suffix '-yl' (used to name radicals), where 'ar-' meant 'aromatic' and '-yl' meant 'radical or substituent'.

'aryl' was coined in 19th-century organic chemistry to name radicals or substituents derived from aromatic hydrocarbons and became standard terminology in chemical nomenclature.

Initially, it specifically meant 'a radical derived from an aromatic hydrocarbon'; over time it retained that core meaning while also being used adjectivally to describe groups, bonds, or compounds related to such radicals.