'bacterin' originates from English formation based on 'bacteria' (from Greek) plus the suffix '-in', where 'bacteria' ultimately comes from Greek 'bakterion' meaning 'little staff' or 'rod'.

'bacterin' was coined in the late 19th to early 20th century as a term formed from 'bacter-' (from Greek 'bakterion') with the productive suffix '-in' used for chemical or biological substances, becoming established in English usage to denote bacterial vaccine preparations.

Initially coined simply as a name for a substance derived from bacteria, it came to be used specifically for vaccines made from killed or attenuated bacteria or their products.