'inhomogeneity' originates from the prefix 'in-' (meaning 'not') combined with 'homogeneity', ultimately from Greek 'homogenēs', where 'homos' meant 'same' and 'genos' meant 'kind or race'.

'inhomogeneity' developed through Late Latin/French formations based on Greek 'homogenēs' (via Latin/French 'homogeneus'/'homogénéité') and eventually appeared in modern English as 'inhomogeneity' by adding the negative prefix 'in-'.

Initially it indicated 'not of the same kind' or 'not uniform', and over time it has retained this basic sense while becoming a common technical term for 'lack of uniformity' in scientific contexts.