'ethylization' originates from modern English, specifically from the verb 'ethylize' plus the noun-forming suffix '-ation', where 'ethyl-' ultimately derives from French 'éthyle' (coined in the 19th century) and the suffix '-ize' from Greek '-izein' via Latin/French, while '-ation' is from Latin '-ationem'.

'ethyl' was coined in 19th-century chemical nomenclature (from French 'éthyle'), then 'ethylize' was formed in English by adding the productive suffix '-ize' to create a verb, and 'ethylization' developed by adding the noun suffix '-ation' to that verb to denote the process.

Initially, the root 'ethyl' named a specific radical derived from ether-related compounds; over time, formations like 'ethylize'/'ethylization' have come to mean the chemical action or process of introducing an ethyl group.