'neutrophil-predominant' is a compound formed from 'neutrophil' + 'predominant'. 'neutrophil' originates from Neo-Latin/modern medical coinage combining Neo-Latin 'neutro-' (from Greek 'neutros') meaning 'neutral' (referring to neutral staining properties) and Greek-derived suffix '-phil' (from 'philos') meaning 'loving' or 'affinity for'. 'predominant' originates from Latin 'praedominans' (present participle of 'praedominari'), where 'prae-' meant 'before, in front of' and 'dominari' meant 'to rule or dominate'.

'neutrophil' was coined in modern medical usage in the 19th century from Neo-Latin elements and adopted into English medical terminology; 'predominant' entered English via Old French/Latin (from Latin 'praedominans') and developed in Middle English into the modern adjective 'predominant'. The compound 'neutrophil-predominant' is a recent English formation used in clinical descriptions (20th century onward).

Each component has retained a related meaning: 'neutrophil' has consistently referred to the white blood cell type identified by neutral staining, and 'predominant' originally meant 'being in greater authority or number'; together they maintain the combined current meaning of 'characterized by a greater number of neutrophils'.