'pearlescent' originates from English, formed by combining the noun 'pearl' and the suffix '-escent' (from Latin '-escens'), where 'pearl' referred to the gem and '-escent' meant 'becoming' or 'beginning to be'.

'pearl' comes from Old English 'pærl' (via Old French 'perle' from Medieval Latin 'perla'), and the suffix '-escent' derives from Latin '-escens' (present-participle-forming). These elements were combined in modern English to form 'pearlescent'.

Initially it meant 'resembling or having the sheen of a pearl', and over time it has retained this meaning, applied broadly to paints, coatings, and surfaces with a pearl-like iridescence.