'appetent' originates from Latin, specifically the present participial stem 'appetent-' from 'appetere', where the prefix 'ad-' (often assimilated to 'ap-') meant 'to' and 'petere' meant 'to seek' or 'to strive'.

'appetent' changed from Latin 'appetens' (present participle of 'appetere') through Medieval/late Latin usage into English borrowing, eventually becoming the modern English adjective 'appetent'.

Initially, it meant 'desiring or striving toward something' in Latin, and over time it evolved into the current English sense of 'having a strong desire or inclination'.