'dye-insensitive' originates from modern English, specifically the compound of 'dye' and 'insensitive', where 'dye' referred to a coloring substance and 'insensitive' comes from Latin roots meaning 'not feeling' (in- + sensus).

'dye-insensitive' was formed in modern English by compounding the noun 'dye' (from Middle English forms of the word for coloring substances) with the adjective 'insensitive' (from Latin insensitivus via French/Medieval Latin developments), producing the hyphenated descriptive adjective used in technical contexts.

Initially formed to mean simply 'not sensitive to dye,' the compound's use has remained specialized and now typically denotes resistance to dye uptake or lack of color-change when exposed to dyes in materials science and related fields.