'dolomite' originates from French, specifically the word 'dolomie', which was named after the French geologist 'Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu'.

'dolomite' changed from Italian 'dolomia' and French 'dolomie' (derived from the name Dolomieu) and was adopted into English as 'dolomite'.

Initially, the term referred to the rock described by Dolomieu (an eponym); over time it came to denote both the specific mineral (CaMg(CO3)2) and the rock composed of that mineral.