'area-related' is a Modern English compound formed from 'area' and 'related'. 'area' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'area', where it meant 'open space' or 'vacant piece of ground'; 'related' originates from Latin via Old French, specifically from the Latin past participle 'relatus' of 'referre'.

'area' came into English from Latin 'area' via Medieval and Middle English; 'related' developed from Latin 'relatus' to Old French 'relater' and then into Middle English as 'relaten' before becoming modern English 'relate' and its past participle 'related', and these were later combined in Modern English to form the compound 'area-related'.

Initially the elements meant 'open space' (for 'area') and 'brought back/connected' (for 'relatus'), and when combined the compound has come to mean 'connected to a particular area'—a meaning that has remained essentially descriptive and literal.