The word originates from the French stéréotype, a technical printing term coined in the late 18th century. It combined the Greek stereos ("solid") and typos ("impression") to describe a method of printing using a solid plate of fixed type, which allowed for mass reproduction without change. This concept of a rigid, unchangeable duplicate was metaphorically extended to the social and psychological realm in the 20th century. The modern abstract meaning of "stereotyping" thus logically evolved from the literal idea of creating a "solid impression" or a fixed mold, applied to the inflexible categorization of people.

Structure: stereo (solid, three-dimensional) + type (impression, model) + ing (noun-forming suffix) - stereo: From Greek stereos, meaning "solid, firm, three-dimensional." In this compound, it functions to convey the sense of rigid, fixed, or solid. - type: From Greek typos, meaning "blow, impression, model, figure." In this compound, it functions to convey the sense of a model, pattern, or stamp. - ing: A native English suffix (from Old English -ung, -ing) forming verbal nouns, indicating the action or process.