'headphones' originates from the combination of 'head' and 'phones', where 'head' refers to the part of the body and 'phones' is derived from 'telephone', meaning 'sound'.

'headphones' evolved from the term 'headset', which was used in the early 20th century to describe audio devices worn on the head.

Initially, it referred to any audio device worn on the head, but now it specifically means a device for personal audio listening.