'postconsonantal' originates from Latin elements: the prefix 'post' (Latin 'post') meaning 'after', plus 'consonant' from Latin 'consonans' meaning 'sounding together' (the source of English 'consonant'), with the English adjectival suffix '-al'.

'postconsonantal' was formed in English by compounding the Latin-derived prefix 'post-' and the noun 'consonant' (from Latin 'consonans') and adding the adjective-forming suffix '-al', producing the modern technical adjective 'postconsonantal'.

Initially it literally meant 'after a consonant'; over time it has remained a technical phonetic term with the same core meaning, used to describe sounds or environments occurring after consonants.