'English-sounding' originates from Modern English, combining the word 'English' (from Old English 'Englisc', named after the Angles) and the present-participle-forming use of 'sounding' from the verb 'sound'.

'English' changed from Old English 'Englisc' (related to the name of the Angles) and the verb 'sound' (from Old English forms of the verb meaning 'to make a noise' or 'to have a particular auditory quality'); these elements were compounded in Modern English to form the adjective 'English-sounding'.

Initially it meant 'having the sound or auditory quality of English' and over time it has been used more broadly to mean 'appearing or seeming English' in pronunciation, spelling, or style.