'bauxite-poor' originates from Modern English, formed by compounding the noun 'bauxite' and the adjective 'poor'. 'Bauxite' itself was borrowed into English from French 'bauxite' (named after the village 'Les Baux' in Provence), and 'poor' comes via Old French from Latin 'pauper'.

'bauxite' came into English from French 'bauxite' (named after 'Les Baux'); 'poor' entered English via Old French 'povre' from Latin 'pauper'. The compound 'bauxite-poor' is a straightforward modern compounding of these elements in English.

The compound originally would simply have meant 'poor in bauxite' (a literal, descriptive phrase); its meaning remains literal and unchanged—used to describe areas, deposits, or materials that lack bauxite.