'quad-core' is a modern English compound formed from 'quad' and 'core'. 'quad' ultimately originates from Latin, specifically the word 'quattuor', where 'quattuor' meant 'four'; 'core' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'coeur', where 'coeur' meant 'heart' or 'center'.

'quad' developed from Latin 'quattuor' through combining forms such as 'quadri-' and later English shortening to 'quad', while 'core' came from Old French 'coeur' → Middle English 'cor'/'core' meaning the 'heart' or central part. The compound 'quad-core' emerged in late 20th-century computing jargon to label processors with four cores.

Initially, the components meant 'four' and 'heart/center' respectively; combined in computing they came to mean 'having four processing centers (cores)' and specifically refer to processors with four cores.