'aurous' originates from Neo-Latin (chemical nomenclature), ultimately from Latin 'aurum', where 'aurum' meant 'gold' and the English suffix '-ous' denotes 'having the quality of'.

'aurous' was coined in post-Latin/modern scientific usage (Neo-Latin) based on Latin 'aurum' and the adjectival suffix '-ous'; it entered English in specialized chemical contexts to denote gold(I) compounds and qualities.

Initially formed to mean 'of or pertaining to gold' in a general sense; over time it became used specifically in chemistry for gold(I) species and more broadly to describe a golden appearance.