'foil-stamp' is a compound formed in English from 'foil' + 'stamp'. 'Foil' (in the sense of a thin metal leaf used for decoration) ultimately comes from Old French 'feuille' (modern French 'feuille') from Latin 'folium' meaning 'leaf'. 'Stamp' (to press or impress a design) comes from Germanic/Old Norse roots (compare Old Norse 'stampa' meaning 'to stamp; to pound'). The suffix '-ed' forms the past-participial/adjectival 'foil-stamped'.

The elements developed separately: 'foil' (metal leaf for decoration) entered English via Old French/Latin, and 'stamp' (to press or imprint) from Germanic/Norse sources. The compound 'foil-stamp' and the printing/finishing process 'foil stamping' became common in printing and manufacturing terminology in the late 19th to early 20th century; 'foil-stamped' then came to be used as an adjective describing objects treated by this process.

Originally it referred specifically to the action or the process of stamping with foil; over time 'foil-stamped' has been commonly used to describe the finished object (e.g., a 'foil-stamped cover' meaning the cover bears the foil decoration).