'zinc-plate' originates from the combination of 'zinc' and 'plate', where 'zinc' refers to the metallic element used for coating and 'plate' refers to the process of covering a surface.

'zinc-plate' evolved from the practice of galvanizing metals, which became popular in the 19th century to prevent corrosion.

Initially, it meant 'to cover with zinc', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.