The word 'tisane' entered English in the 19th century from French, where it originally meant 'barley water' or a medicinal drink. The French term derives from the Latin 'ptisana', which itself came from the Ancient Greek 'ptisanē', meaning 'peeled barley' or 'barley gruel', a staple medicinal preparation. This etymological journey, from a specific grain-based remedy in antiquity to a general term for herbal infusions in modern English, illustrates the broadening of meaning as the preparation's primary ingredient shifted from barley to various herbs and flowers.

This word is a loanword borrowed as a single unit from French. It is not productively segmented using English morphemes.