'audiometer' originates from combining the prefix 'audio-' and the suffix '-meter'. 'audio-' comes via New Latin from Latin 'audīre' meaning 'to hear', and '-meter' comes from Greek 'metron' meaning 'measure'.

'audiometer' was formed in modern scientific/technical English by joining 'audio-' (from Latin 'audīre') and '-meter' (from Greek 'metron') to name instruments that measure auditory function; it entered usage in the late 19th to early 20th century as audiology developed.

Initially coined to denote instruments for measuring sound-related quantities in general; it came to be used specifically for devices that assess human hearing thresholds and auditory sensitivity.