'audiophile' originates from Latin and Greek, specifically the Latin word 'audīre' and the Greek word 'philos', where 'audīre' meant 'to hear' and 'philos' meant 'loving'.

'audiophile' was formed in English in the early 20th century by combining the prefix 'audio-' (from Latin 'audīre') with the Greek-derived suffix '-phile' (from 'philos'), and it entered common usage to describe lovers of recorded or reproduced sound.

Initially, it simply meant 'lover of sound' or 'one who loves listening', but over time it evolved into the narrower modern sense of 'an enthusiast who seeks high-fidelity sound reproduction and specialized equipment.'