'azomethine' originates from a combination of the prefix 'azo-' (from French 'azote', ultimately from Greek 'azōt-/-os', meaning 'nitrogen') and 'methine' (from 'methine', related to New Latin 'methanum'/'meth-' as in 'methane'/'methyl', i.e. a methyl-derived carbon unit), where 'azo-' referred to nitrogen and 'methine' referred to a methane-derived carbon framework.

'azomethine' was coined in chemical literature in the late 19th to early 20th century by combining 'azo-' and 'methine' to name nitrogen-containing unsaturated carbon frameworks; over time it became used specifically for imine (C=N) linkages and related Schiff bases.

Initially it referred to compounds seen as related to 'azo' and 'methine' structural elements; over time the term evolved to denote specifically the imine (C=N) functional group or compounds (Schiff bases) containing that linkage.