'azorubine' is a coined chemical/dye name formed from the prefix 'azo-' (from French 'azote', ultimately referring to nitrogen-containing compounds) combined with 'rubine' (from French/German roots related to 'ruby', indicating red).

'azo-' as a prefix arose in 19th-century chemistry (from French 'azo-'), while 'rubine'/'rubin' stems from words for 'ruby' in Romance/Germanic languages; the compound name 'azorubine' was created in modern chemical nomenclature to denote an azo dye with a ruby/red hue and adopted as a trade/food additive name in the 20th century.

Originally intended to denote an 'azo compound with a ruby (red) color,' the term has come to be used specifically for the particular synthetic red food dye known as azorubine (E122).