'asdic' originates from English, specifically the acronym 'ASDIC', formed from the words 'Anti-Submarine Detection Investigation Committee'.

'ASDIC' changed from the committee name 'Anti-Submarine Detection Investigation Committee' into the name of the detection apparatus developed by that committee and eventually became the general term 'asdic' for early active sonar devices.

Initially it referred to the committee and the experimental detection equipment they developed; over time it evolved into the current meaning of 'an early form of sonar used to detect submarines'.