'appetite-increasing' originates from the combination of 'appetite' (from Latin 'appetitus', past participle of 'appetere', meaning 'to strive for' or 'desire') and 'increasing' (from Latin 'increscere', where 'in-' meant 'into/upon' and 'crescere' meant 'to grow').

'appetite' entered English via Old French 'apetit' and Middle English 'appetite'; 'increase' developed from Latin 'increscere' through Old French and Middle English forms (e.g. Middle English 'encreasen'), with 'increasing' as the present participle; the modern compound 'appetite-increasing' is a straightforward modern English formation combining these elements.

Originally, 'appetite' referred broadly to a desire (from Latin) and 'increase' meant 'to grow'; over time the compound came to mean specifically 'causing a growth in appetite' (i.e., stimulating desire for food).