'oxide-coated' is a compound formed from 'oxide' and the past-participle adjective 'coated'. 'oxide' originates from French 'oxyde', ultimately from Greek 'oxys', where 'oxys' meant 'sharp' (used in chemistry to form words related to oxygen/acidity); 'coat' originates from Old French 'cote' (a garment), later Middle English 'cot/cote', meaning a covering.

'oxide' was coined in modern chemical nomenclature (early 19th century) from French 'oxyde' (from Greek 'oxys' + chemical suffix '-ide') and came to mean a compound of oxygen with another element. 'coat' evolved from Old French 'cote' into Middle English 'cot(e)' and then 'coat' in Modern English; its past participle 'coated' came to be used adjectivally. The compound 'oxide-coated' developed in technical usage (late 19th–20th century) to describe surfaces covered by an oxide film.

Initially, elements of the components referred to 'oxygen-related compound' ('oxide') and 'a covering' ('coat'); over time they combined into the specific adjectival sense 'covered with an oxide layer', used especially in materials and surface-science contexts.