'lignite-bearing' originates from English, specifically the compound 'lignite' + 'bearing', where 'lignite' comes from French 'lignite' (from Latin 'lignitum') meaning 'wood-like / coal derived from wood' and 'bearing' comes from Old English 'beran' meaning 'to carry or to produce'.

'lignite' entered English in the early 19th century from French 'lignite' (from Latin 'lignitum'), while 'bearing' evolved from Old English 'beran' through Middle English 'beren' to the modern participle 'bearing'; the two elements were combined in geological usage to describe formations that 'bear' or contain lignite.

Initially, 'lignite' had senses connected to 'wood' or 'wood-like'; over time it became the established term for a brown coal formed from plant material. 'Bearing' originally meant 'carrying' or 'producing'; together the compound came to mean 'containing or producing lignite'.