The compound adjective "white-on-black" is a modern English formation built entirely from native Germanic roots. Its logic is transparently descriptive, following the common English syntactic pattern of "X-on-Y" to denote the spatial relationship of one element positioned upon another. The word "white" derives from the Proto-Germanic hwītaz, associated with brightness and light, while "black" comes from blakaz, meaning burnt or dark. The preposition "on" has a stable history from Proto-Germanic ana, maintaining its core locative sense. The term's specific application to display technology, such as early computer monitors or print media, is a direct and literal application of these elemental color and positional terms to describe a high-contrast visual scheme.

Structure: white (color) + on (position) + black (color) - white: From Old English hwīt, meaning the color white. Functional role: descriptive adjective. - on: From Old English on, an, meaning in, into, or onto. Functional role: preposition indicating position or relationship. - black: From Old English blæc, meaning the color black. Functional role: descriptive adjective.