'halophobic' originates from Greek, specifically the root word 'hals' meaning 'salt' combined with the suffix '-phobic' from Greek 'phobos' meaning 'fear'.

'halophobic' is a modern English formation built from the combining form 'halo-' (from Greek 'hals') plus '-phobic' (from Greek 'phobos'), modeled on related scientific terms such as 'halophilic' and 'halophile'.

Initially formed to denote 'fear of or aversion to salt', its usage has broadened in scientific contexts to mean 'not tolerant of saline environments' as well as in psychological contexts to indicate an irrational fear of salt.