'suspended' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'suspendere,' where 'sus-'/'sub-' meant 'under' or 'up from below' and 'pendere' meant 'to hang'; 'solids' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'solidus,' meaning 'firm' or 'whole'.

'suspendere' passed into Old French as 'suspendre' and into Middle English as 'suspenden' and eventually became the English verb 'suspend' and its past participle 'suspended'; 'solidus' passed into Old French as 'solide' and into Middle English as 'solid', leading to the modern English 'solid' and plural 'solids'.

Initially, 'suspended' had the sense of 'hung up' and 'solid' meant 'firm/whole'; together the compound came to be used in technical contexts to mean 'solid particles that remain hanging (i.e., dispersed) in a liquid,' the modern specialized meaning.