'electrolyte' originates from Greek (via New Latin/19th-century scientific English), specifically from the elements 'ēlektron' and 'lytos', where 'ēlektron' meant 'amber' (later 'electric') and 'lytos' meant 'able to be loosened' or 'dissolvable'.

'electrolyte' was formed in 19th-century scientific vocabulary influenced by words like 'electrolysis' (coined from Greek roots) and the suffix '-lyte'; it became the modern English word 'electrolyte' in scientific usage.

Initially it referred to substances undergoing decomposition by electric current (as in electrolysis); over time it broadened to mean any substance that yields ions and conducts electricity when dissolved or molten, and in biology to denote the charged ions in body fluids.