'ethylate' originates from the combination of 'ethyl' and the suffix '-ate', where 'ethyl' refers to the ethyl group, a two-carbon alkyl group derived from ethane.

'ethyl' was derived from the French word 'éthyle', which in turn came from the Greek word 'aithēr', meaning 'upper air'.

Initially, it referred to the introduction of an ethyl group into a compound, and this meaning has remained consistent in modern usage.