'bauxite-rich' is a compound formed from the noun 'bauxite' and the adjective 'rich'. 'bauxite' originates from French, specifically the word 'bauxite', which was named after the village 'Les Baux' in Provence; 'rich' originates from Old English 'rice' meaning 'wealthy' or 'powerful'.

'bauxite' was coined in the early 19th century (after 1821) by Pierre Berthier, named for 'Les Baux' (French place name), and later combined in modern English with 'rich' to produce the compound adjective 'bauxite-rich'.

Initially, 'bauxite' referred to the ore named after a place ('Les Baux'); 'rich' originally meant 'wealthy/powerful' in Old English. Together, the compound came to mean 'having an abundance of bauxite' rather than any metaphorical wealth.