'pH-resistant' originates from modern English, specifically the compound of 'pH' and 'resistant'. 'pH' was introduced into scientific English from the work of Danish chemist Søren P. L. Sørensen in 1909, where 'p' stood for the notion of 'power' (from German 'potenz') and 'H' stood for 'hydrogen'. 'resistant' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'resistere', where the prefix 're-' meant 'back' and 'sistere' (from 'stare') meant 'to stand'.

'resistere' changed through Latin and Old French into Middle English forms like 'resist', and later the adjective 'resistant' emerged in post-medieval English. 'pH' was coined in 1909 and entered wider English scientific usage in the 20th century; the compound adjective 'pH-resistant' developed in technical and industrial contexts in the 20th century as a descriptive term for materials and chemicals.

Initially, 'resistere' carried the sense 'to stand back' or 'to oppose', but over time it evolved into the sense 'to withstand' or 'to be impervious to'. 'pH' originally named a measure of hydrogen ion concentration and has come to be shorthand for acidity/alkalinity; combined, 'pH-resistant' now specifically means 'able to withstand varying pH levels' in modern usage.