'audiovisuals' originates from Latin elements 'audire' and 'videre', where 'audire' meant 'to hear' and 'videre' meant 'to see'. The modern English compound combines 'audio-' (sound) and 'visual' (sight).

'audio-' (from Latin 'audire') and 'visual' (from Latin 'visualis', from 'videre') were combined in modern English in the 20th century to form 'audiovisual' to describe media that use both sound and image; the plural form 'audiovisuals' simply denotes multiple items or materials.

Initially it referred to the combination of sound and sight; over time the term has remained broadly the same but expanded to include electronic media, presentation equipment, and digital multimedia resources.