'phenyl-based' originates from modern English, specifically a compound formed from the chemical element-name 'phenyl' and the adjective 'based'.

'phenyl' originates from New Latin/German chemical terminology 'phenyl' (used in 19th-century organic chemistry), which was derived from names for benzene-derived groups such as 'phenol'; 'based' comes from Late Latin 'basis' via French and English.

Initially, 'phenyl' referred to a radical or group derived from benzene derivatives in chemical nomenclature; over time it became a standard root used in compound adjectives. 'Phenyl-based' evolved to mean 'built around or containing phenyl groups' in modern chemical descriptions.