The word "asphalt" is derived from the late Middle English, in turn from French asphalte, based on Late Latin asphalton, asphaltum, which is the latinisation of the Greek  (ásphaltos, ásphalton), a word meaning "asphalt/bitumen/pitch", which perhaps derives from , "not, without", i.e. the alpha privative, and  (sphallein), "to cause to fall, baffle, (in passive) err, (in passive) be balked of".
ðə wˈɜːd "ˈæsfɔlt" ɪz dᵻɹˈaɪvd fɹʌmðə lˈeɪt mˈɪdəl ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ, ɪn tˈɜːn fɹʌm fɹˈɛntʃ ˈæsfælt, bˈeɪst ˌɔn lˈeɪt lˈætɪn ˈæsfæltən, ˈæsfæltəm, wˌɪtʃ ɪz ðə lˌætɪnəzˈeɪʃən ʌvðə ɡɹˈiːk æsfˈæltoʊz, ˈæsfæltən, ɐ wˈɜːd mˈiːnɪŋ "ˈæsfɔlt slˈæʃ bɪtˈuːmɛn slˈæʃ pˈɪtʃ", wˌɪtʃ pɚhˈæps dᵻɹˈaɪvz fɹʌm , "nˈɑːt, wɪðˈaʊt", ˈaɪ.ˈiː. ðɪ ˈælfə pɹˈaɪvətˌɪv, ænd sfˈælaɪn, "tə kˈɔːz tə fˈɔːl, bˈæfəl, ɪn pˈæsɪv ˈɛɹ, ɪn pˈæsɪv biː bˈɔːkt ʌv".