'beta-arbutinase' is formed from the prefix 'beta-' (from Greek 'beta', indicating the β stereochemical configuration or 'second'), the substrate name 'arbutin' (ultimately from Latin 'arbutus', the strawberry-tree), and the enzyme-forming suffix '-ase' (a modern biochemical suffix meaning 'enzyme').

The compound name 'arbutin' was coined in the 19th century after the plant Arbutus unedo; the suffix '-ase' was introduced into enzymology in the late 19th century (e.g., 'diastase'), and specific enzyme names such as 'arbutinase' and the more descriptive 'beta-arbutinase' appeared later in biochemical literature to denote enzymes acting on the β form of arbutin.

The name originally designated the substrate ('β form of arbutin') plus the general enzyme suffix; over time the composite has retained this literal technical meaning and is used specifically for enzymes that hydrolyze β-arbutin.