'stone-dissolving' originates from modern English, specifically the compound of the words 'stone' and 'dissolving'. 'stone' goes back to Old English 'stan' (from Proto-Germanic '*stainaz') meaning 'stone', and 'dissolve' ultimately comes from Latin 'dissolvere', where 'dis-' meant 'apart' and 'solvere' meant 'to loosen'.

'stone-dissolving' formed in modern English by combining the noun 'stone' with the present participle 'dissolving' (from Middle English and Latin roots); 'dissolvere' in Latin passed into Old French/Anglo-Norman forms and Middle English as 'dissolven'/'dissolven', eventually yielding modern English 'dissolve' and the compound 'stone-dissolving' in technical/medical contexts.

Initially the components referred separately to 'stone' and 'the action of loosening apart', and over time the compound came to be used specifically for medical/chemical contexts meaning 'able to dissolve stones' or 'the action of dissolving stones'.