'zeolite' originates from Greek, specifically the words 'zeo' and 'lithos', where 'zeo' meant 'to boil' and 'lithos' meant 'stone'. It passed into New Latin as 'zeolithus' and then into modern scientific English.

'zeolite' was coined in the 18th century by mineralogists (notably Axel Fredrik Cronstedt, 1756) as Swedish 'zeolit', appeared in New Latin 'zeolithus', and eventually became the English word 'zeolite'.

Initially, it meant 'stone that boils' (referring to the release of water/steam when the mineral is heated); over time its meaning shifted to denote the class of porous aluminosilicate minerals and their synthetic analogues used as adsorbents and catalysts.