'neutrophil-dense' is a compound of 'neutrophil' + 'dense'. 'neutrophil' originates from New Latin/medical coinage based on elements 'neutro-' (from Latin 'neuter', meaning 'neither' or 'neutral', referring to neutral staining) and '-phil' from Greek 'philos' meaning 'loving' (used to indicate affinity for certain stains). 'dense' originates from Latin 'densus' meaning 'thick' or 'crowded'.

'neutrophil' developed in late 19th-century histology as a name for granulocytes whose cytoplasmic granules stained with neither strongly acidic nor basic dyes; earlier terminology included 'polymorphonuclear leukocyte' (PMN) or 'neutrophil granulocyte'. 'dense' came into English via Old French 'dense' from Latin 'densus' and has long meant 'thick' or 'closely packed', applied here to indicate high concentration.

Initially, references to 'neutrophil' emphasized staining properties ('neutral-loving' in staining). Over time it became the standard name for this specific type of white blood cell. 'Dense' originally meant 'thick' or 'closely packed'; in modern compounds it is used to mean 'present at high concentration', so 'neutrophil-dense' now means 'containing a high concentration of neutrophils'.