'aurobromide' originates from New Latin/modern chemical nomenclature, specifically the combining form 'auro-' from Latin 'aurum' where 'aur-' meant 'gold', combined with 'bromide' from the element name 'bromine' ultimately from Greek 'bromos' meaning 'stench'.

'aurobromide' developed in 19th-century chemical usage as a concise term for 'auric/aurous bromide' or 'gold bromide'; earlier descriptions used phrases like 'auric bromide' or 'gold bromide' before the fused form 'aurobromide' appeared in chemical literature.

Initially it referred specifically to a bromide compound of gold; over time the term has remained narrowly chemical in meaning, referring to gold–bromine compounds or salts.