'auriferous' originates from Latin, specifically the element 'aurum' (meaning 'gold') combined with the suffix '-ferous' (from Latin 'ferre', meaning 'to bear'), producing the sense 'bearing gold.'

'auriferous' developed from Late Latin 'aurifer'/'auriferus' (literally 'gold-bearing') into Neo-Latin/English formations; the modern English adjective 'auriferous' was formed by combining Latin roots in English usage.

Initially it meant 'bearing or containing gold' in Latin formations, and this basic meaning has been retained in modern English as 'containing or yielding gold.'