'racemic' originates from French, specifically the word 'racémique,' which was derived from 'racème' meaning 'grape cluster,' and ultimately from Latin 'racemus' meaning 'a bunch of grapes.'

'racémique' was adopted into English as 'racemic' in the 19th century, especially in the context of chemistry, to describe substances like racemic acid.

Initially, it referred to substances derived from grapes, but over time it evolved into its current meaning of describing a mixture of enantiomers in chemistry.