'pH-insensitive' is a modern compound formed from 'pH' (the scientific notation) and 'insensitive' (from Latin roots). 'pH' itself was introduced in early 20th-century scientific usage where 'p' indicated 'power' (from German/Latin 'potenz'/'pondus') and 'H' stands for 'hydrogen' (from Greek roots 'hydro-' meaning 'water' and '-gen' meaning 'producer/creator'). 'Insensitive' originates from Latin components 'in-' (not) + 'sensitivus' (able to feel).

'pH' was coined in the context of chemistry by S. P. L. Sf8rensen in 1909 as a concise notation for the hydrogen ion concentration; 'insensitive' developed from Latin 'sensitivus' > Old French/Anglo-French forms > Middle English 'sensitive' with the negative prefix 'in-' producing 'insensitive'. The compound 'pH-insensitive' is a 20th-century scientific formation combining the notation with an English adjective.

Initially 'pH' only denoted a numeric measure of hydrogen ion activity and 'insensitive' meant 'not easily affected by sensation'; combined, the modern compound specifically conveys 'not affected by pH changes' in scientific contexts.