'nitric' originates from French, specifically the word 'nitrique', where the root ultimately traces to Latin 'nitrum' meaning 'natron' or 'saltpeter'.

'nitric' developed from New Latin 'nitricus' and French 'nitrique' and entered modern English usage (chiefly in chemical terminology) in the 18th–19th centuries.

Initially it referred to things associated with 'nitre' (saltpeter); over time it came to mean 'relating to nitrogen' and, in chemistry, 'relating to or derived from nitric acid'.