'hydromagmatic' originates from Greek elements, specifically 'hydor' and 'magma', where 'hydro-' meant 'water' and 'magma' meant 'that which is kneaded' or 'mass'.

'hydromagmatic' is a modern scientific compound formed by combining the prefix 'hydro-' (from Greek) with 'magmatic' (from Latin/Greek 'magma'); the term developed in geological and volcanological literature in the late 19th to 20th century to describe water–magma interactions.

Initially, the components referred literally to 'water' + 'magma/mass'; in modern usage the compound specifically denotes processes or products resulting from direct interaction between water and magma, a meaning that has been stable in scientific contexts.