'salinity-sensitive' originates from a modern English compound of 'salinity' and 'sensitive'. 'salinity' ultimately derives from Latin 'sal' meaning 'salt' (via Late Latin 'salinitas' and Old French), and 'sensitive' comes from Latin 'sensitivus' from 'sentire' meaning 'to feel'.

'salinity' developed from Latin 'sal' → Late Latin 'salinitas' → Old French 'salinité' → modern English 'salinity'. 'sensitive' came from Latin 'sensitivus' via Old French and Middle English. The compound 'salinity-sensitive' is a descriptive scientific formation in modern English, becoming more common in 20th-century ecological and physiological literature.

Initially, 'sensitive' meant 'able to perceive' or 'capable of sensation'; over time it broadened to mean 'susceptible or responsive to' and in 'salinity-sensitive' it denotes vulnerability or responsiveness to salt levels.