'hemolytic' originates from modern New Latin and Greek elements: Greek 'haima' (αἷμα) meaning 'blood' and 'lysis' (λύσις) meaning 'loosening, dissolution', with the adjectival suffix '-tic' from Greek '-tikos'.

'hemolytic' was formed via New Latin 'haemolyticus' (from Greek 'haemolytikos') and entered English in the 19th century; British spelling often appears as 'haemolytic' (with 'ae'), while US spelling commonly uses 'hemo-'.

Initially it denoted the property of causing 'dissolution of blood' (i.e., destruction of red blood cells); over time it has retained this technical medical sense and is used to describe agents, processes, and diseases involving hemolysis.