'ferrimagnetism' originates from the combining form 'ferri-' (from Latin 'ferrum', meaning 'iron') and the noun 'magnetism' (from Greek 'magnētis', 'magnetic [stone]'), forming a term for iron-related magnetic behavior.

'ferrimagnetism' was coined in 20th-century physics by analogy with 'ferromagnetism' and 'antiferromagnetism', combining the Latin-derived prefix 'ferri-' with 'magnetism' to name a distinct type of magnetic order observed in certain iron-containing compounds.

Initially the elements of the word pointed simply to 'iron-related magnetism', but over time the term came to denote the specific physical concept of unequal antiparallel sublattice moments producing net magnetization.