'aryl' originates from 19th-century chemical word-formation, specifically from the prefix 'ar-' (from 'aromatic', ultimately via French/Latin/Greek) combined with the chemical suffix '-yl' (used to denote radicals or substituents).

'aryl' was coined in 19th-century organic-chemistry nomenclature by combining 'ar-' (short for 'aromatic') with the suffix '-yl'; the term entered modern English chemical vocabulary through French and German chemical literature and stabilized as 'aryl'.

Initially, it referred specifically to radicals derived from aromatic hydrocarbons; over time the term retained this core sense and broadened in usage to refer also to aryl-containing groups, fragments, or substituents in formulas and naming.