'after-divorce' originates in Modern English as a compound of 'after' and 'divorce'. 'after' ultimately comes from Old English 'æfter', where 'æfter' meant 'after, behind'; 'divorce' comes via Old French from Latin, specifically the Latin word 'divortium', where elements conveyed the idea of 'separation' or 'turning apart'.

'after-divorce' formed in modern usage by compounding the adverb/preposition 'after' with the noun 'divorce' to describe a post-divorce state; similar compounds (e.g. 'post-war', 'post-college') influenced its hyphenated construction in 19th–20th century English.

Initially it simply denoted something 'after a divorce' (a literal temporal relation); over time it has been used more broadly as an adjective or noun to label a phase, set of issues, or services specifically associated with the period following divorce.