'sulfosalt' originates from Modern English, formed by the combining form 'sulfo-' (ultimately from Latin 'sulfur') and the noun 'salt' (Old English 'sealt' / Latin 'sal'), where 'sulfo-' meant 'sulfur' and 'salt' referred to a mineral or salt-like compound.

'sulfosalt' changed from the earlier mineralogical spelling 'sulphosalt' (common in British usage) and eventually became the modern English form 'sulfosalt' alongside the wider adoption of the spelling 'sulfur' in scientific contexts.

Initially, the component parts suggested a literal 'salt of sulfur'; over time the term evolved to mean a specific class of complex sulfide minerals containing semi-metals and defined by characteristic crystal chemistry.