'phenazone' originates from New Latin/scientific coinage, formed from components such as 'phenyl' (from Greek roots used in chemical nomenclature) and the element 'azone' (relating to nitrogen-containing function groups in older chemical naming), where 'phenyl' referred to the phenyl group and the suffix indicated a nitrogen-containing compound.

'phenazone' was coined in the late 19th century as the chemical/trade name for the compound; it appeared in medical and pharmaceutical literature alongside the name 'antipyrine' (from German 'Antipyrin'), and both names were used to refer to the same analgesic/antipyretic substance.

Initially, it referred specifically to the single chemical compound now known as phenazone/antipyrine; over time the term was used in broader contexts for related early synthetic analgesics, and today it mainly appears as a historical or specific chemical name.