'audiologist' originates from Latin and Greek, specifically the Latin word 'audīre' and the Greek root 'logos', where 'aud-' meant 'to hear' and 'logos' meant 'study' or 'discourse'.

'audiologist' changed from the combining form 'audio-' (from Latin 'audīre') plus the agent suffix '-logist' (from Greek 'logos') used in modern scientific coinages in the 19th–20th centuries, and eventually became the modern English word 'audiologist'.

Initially it meant 'one who studies hearing', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a health professional who diagnoses and treats hearing and balance disorders'.