'voltage' originates from Modern English, specifically formed from the noun 'volt' (named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta) plus the suffix '-age', creating a noun meaning 'the amount or condition measured in volts'.

'voltage' was formed in the late 19th century from the unit name 'volt' (coined to honor Volta) combined with the suffix '-age'; it became established in scientific and technical English to denote electric potential difference.

Initially it referred to the quantity measured in volts (electric potential difference), and this technical meaning has remained stable into modern usage.