The word 'zine' is a modern English clipping, a linguistic process where a longer word is shortened. It derives directly from the final syllable of 'magazine', which itself entered English from French 'magasin' (meaning "storehouse"), via Italian 'magazzino', from Arabic 'makhāzin', the plural of 'makhzan' ("storehouse"). The semantic shift from "storehouse" to "periodical publication" occurred in the 18th century, reflecting the concept of a publication as a repository of articles and ideas. In the late 20th century, the counterculture and fan communities clipped 'magazine' to create 'zine', specifying a grassroots, self-published, and often non-commercial format, thus distinguishing it from mainstream periodicals.

The word is a clipped form, not composed of productive morphemes in its current spelling. It originates from the final syllable of the word 'magazine'.