'histamine' originates from Greek and New Latin elements: from Greek 'histos' meaning 'tissue' (histo-) combined with 'amine' (from French 'amine', ultimately from 'ammonia', meaning a derivative of ammonia).

'histamine' was coined in German as 'Histamin' in the early 20th century after the compound was identified in animal tissues; the term was then adopted into English largely unchanged as 'histamine'.

Initially the word essentially meant 'an amine derived from tissue', but over time it came to denote this specific chemical mediator with defined roles in allergic responses and as a neurotransmitter.